花卷 (huā juǎn) — steamed twisted roll | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

steamed twisted roll

Measure word · 个

Easily confused

花卷。
Wǒ zǎo fàn chī le yí gè huā juǎn.
I ate a steamed twisted roll for breakfast.
花卷。
Mā ma zuò de huā juǎn hěn hǎo chī.
The steamed twisted rolls my mom makes are delicious.
花卷。
Cān tīng de huā juǎn yòu ruǎn yòu xiāng.
The steamed twisted rolls at the restaurant are soft and fragrant.

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.

花 suggests a flower-like pattern and 卷 means a rolled food, so it is a twisted roll.

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.

艹化花

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

化

Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

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

卩卩jiékneeling person

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢍏

𢍏𢍏卷juàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 卷, 卩 shows a kneeling person, while 𢍏 gives the sound and may also suggest bending or rolling, as in a reel of books.