麻花

máhuā

noun #26,686

Measure Word

一根麻花 gēn

Meanings

1 fried dough twist
2 deep-fried twisted dough snack
3 (of fabric) worn smooth or worn out

Characters

hemp; sesame; numb; pockmarked

flower; pattern; to spend

Examples

天津麻花是中国著名的传统小吃。

Tiānjīn máhuā shì Zhōngguó zhùmíng de chuántǒng xiǎochī.

Tianjin fried dough twists are a famous traditional Chinese snack.

他买了一根麻花作为路上的零食。

Tā mǎi le yī gēn máhuā zuòwéi lùshàng de língshí.

He bought a fried dough twist as a snack for the road.

Tips

culture

麻花 from Tianjin (天津麻花) is especially famous, with 桂发祥 (Guì Fā Xiáng) being the most celebrated brand. The snack gets its name from the twisted braid shape that resembles plaited hemp (麻).

memory

麻 means hemp/sesame and 花 means flower/pattern — the twisted shape of the snack resembles a braided hemp rope or a flowering twist.

Stroke Order

麻 má

花 huā