稻 (dào) — paddy (rice plant); unhusked rice grain

Definition

A formal/botanical word for the rice plant or unhusked grain (rice in the field, before harvest). In daily speech, learners will more often meet 米 (cooked/unhusked rice as food) and 水稻 (the cultivated rice plant).

noun
paddy (rice plant)unhusked rice grain
Measure word · 颗

Examples

  • 稻。
    Nóng mín zài tián lǐ zhòng dào.
    Farmers plant rice in the fields.
  • 稻。
    Jīn nián dào de shōu cheng bǐ qù nián hǎo.
    This year's rice harvest is better than last year's.
  • 稻。
    Zhè kuài dì shì hé zhòng dào.
    This piece of land is suitable for growing rice.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾hégrain, cereal, rice
Sound part声符shēngfú
舀
舀yǎo稻dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

稻 uses 禾, the grain plant, to show its meaning, and 舀 for its sound.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.