无花果 (wúhuāguǒ) · fig (fruit), Ficus carica

Meanings

1 fig (fruit)
2 Ficus carica

About the ingredient

水果 Fruit · In season: summer and autumn

Soft figs with green skin that ripens to purple or brown, and sweet flesh full of small seeds. Fresh figs, in season from August into early October, spoil quickly, so most are sold dried.

Characters

Literally 'no-flower fruit' - figs bloom internally, so no flowers are visible.

Examples

HSK 3

我喜欢吃干的无花果。

Wǒ xǐhuan chī gān de wúhuāguǒ.

I like eating dried figs.

HSK 5

这棵无花果树结了很多果实。

Zhè kē wúhuāguǒ shù jié le hěnduō guǒshí.

This fig tree has borne a lot of fruit.

Tips

memory

无花果 literally means 'no-flower fruit' - figs appear to have no visible flowers because the tiny flowers bloom inside the fruit itself. A great mnemonic: the fruit with no flowers!