稻 (dào): rice (plant); paddy

Meanings

秋天稻田变成金黄色。

Qiūtiān dàotián biàn chéng jīnhuángsè.

The rice paddies turn golden in autumn.

中国南方的主要作物是水稻。

Zhōngguó nánfāng de zhǔyào zuòwù shì shuǐdào.

Southern China's main crop is rice.

usage

稻 is the growing plant or grain. Common words: 水稻 (paddy rice), 稻谷 (unhusked rice). The cooked food on your plate is 米饭, not 稻.

radical

禾 hé

grain; cereal plant

The grain radical 禾 pictures a stalk of cereal with a drooping head, placing 稻 squarely among grain crops.

phonetic

舀 yǎo

to scoop; to ladle

舀 (to scoop) shows a hand reaching into a mortar and supplies the sound; the husking-and-scooping image fits a grain that must be pounded to eat.

稻 dào