苦瓜 (kǔ guā) — bitter melon (also called bitter gourd or balsa…

Definition

noun

bitter melon (also called bitter gourd or balsam pear)

Measure word · 根

苦瓜，。
Wǒ jīn tiān mǎi le yì xiē kǔ guā, zhǔn bèi zuò tāng.
I bought some bitter melon today, planning to make soup.
，。
Hěn duō rén bù xǐ huan chī kǔ guā, yīn wèi tā tài kǔ le.
Many people don't like eating bitter melon because it's too bitter.
苦瓜，。
kǔ guā Suī rán kǔ, dàn duì shēn tǐ hěn yǒu hǎo chù.
Although bitter melon is bitter, it's very good for the body.

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.

苦 means bitter, 瓜 means gourd, so 苦瓜 is the bitter gourd.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

古

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艸 shows grass or plants, matching the sense of bitter plants. The bottom 古 gives the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 瓜 is drawn from a melon hanging from its vines, which matches its meaning.

Appears in