芥末 (jiè mo) — mustard | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

mustard

Examples

，芥末。
Chī shòu sī de shí hou, wǒ xǐ huan jiā yì diǎn jiè mo.
When eating sushi, I like to add a little mustard.
芥末，。
Zhè zhǒng jiè mo de wèi dào hěn là, nǐ yào xiǎo xīn.
This kind of mustard tastes very spicy; you should be careful.
芥末。
Mā ma zài cài lǐ fàng le yì xiē jiè mo.
Mom put some mustard in the dish.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

芥jièmustard

末mòpowder

芥 'mustard' and 末 'powder' combine to mean mustard.

Characters in this word

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

艸艸cǎograss, plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

介

介jiè芥⁰jiè

Same sound today

芥 uses 艸 (grass, plant) to show it is a type of plant, with 介 pointing to its sound.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

末 adds a mark at the top of a tree-like shape to show its tip or end.

Appears in

Flavors & Seasonings

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