西瓜 (xīguā) · watermelon

Measure Word

一个西瓜 gè

Meanings

1 watermelon

About the ingredient

水果 Fruit · In season: summer

Big, green-striped melons with sweet, juicy red flesh, the fruit of summer, eaten in slices. The rind is sometimes peeled and stir-fried, stewed or pickled as a vegetable.

Characters

Literally 'western melon' - watermelon came to China from the west (Central Asia) via the Silk Road.

Examples

HSK 1

他买了半个西瓜。

Tā mǎi le bàn ge xīguā.

He bought half a watermelon.

HSK 3

夏天吃西瓜最舒服了。

Xiàtiān chī xīguā zuì shūfu le.

Eating watermelon in summer is the best.

HSK 3

这个西瓜真甜！

Zhège xīguā zhēn tián!

This watermelon is really sweet!

Tips

culture

China produces and consumes more watermelon than any other country. Tapping a watermelon to check ripeness by sound (听声音) is a common skill - a hollow sound means it's ripe.

history

The name 西瓜 (western melon) reflects that watermelons were introduced to China from Central Asia. Similarly, 南瓜 (pumpkin) means 'southern melon.'