黄瓜

黃瓜
huángguā
noun HSK 4 #12,139

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 cucumber

Characters

Literally 'yellow melon' - despite being green when fresh, cucumbers turn yellow when ripe.

Examples

Wǒ xǐhuan chī liángbàn huángguā.
I like eating cucumber salad.
Qǐng gěi wǒ liǎng gēn huángguā.
Please give me two cucumbers.
Huángguā kěyǐ shēng chī yě kěyǐ chǎo zhe chī.
Cucumbers can be eaten raw or stir-fried.

Tips

history
黄瓜 was originally called 胡瓜 ('foreign melon') because it was introduced from Central Asia. The name was changed during the Later Zhao dynasty.
culture
拍黄瓜 (smashed cucumber salad) is one of China's most beloved cold dishes. Cucumbers are smashed with a knife, then dressed with garlic, vinegar, and sesame oil.

Stroke Order

huáng
guā