早饭 (zǎo fàn) — breakfast | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

早饭 is the everyday spoken word for 'breakfast.' Use 晚饭 / 午饭 the same way for 'dinner' and 'lunch'; 早餐 is the more formal or written alternative.

noun

breakfast

Measure word · 份, 顿, 次, 餐

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.

早 points to the morning, and 饭 to a meal, together naming the first meal of the day.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

棗

棗zǎo早zǎo

Same sound today

The form 早 pairs 日 (sun) with 棗, which gives the sound; an earlier shape of 早 was a picture of an acorn.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飯; 饭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

反

Same sound today

The traditional form 飯 combines 食 (food) with 反 for the sound; the simplified 饭 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical form.

Appears in