明矾

明礬

míngfán

noun #48,329

Meanings

1 alum
2 potassium alum

Characters

Examples

传统油条会加少量明矾。

Chuántǒng yóutiáo huì jiā shǎoliàng míngfán.

Traditional fried dough sticks contain a small amount of alum.

明矾可以用来净化水。

Míngfán kěyǐ yònglái jìnghuà shuǐ.

Alum can be used to purify water.

Tips

culture

Long used as a leavening agent in Chinese fried foods (油条, 麻花). Concerns over aluminum intake led China to ban alum in many baked goods in 2014, though it persists in some traditional snacks.

Stroke Order

明 míng

矾 fán