南瓜

nánguā
noun HSK 7 #5,744

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 pumpkin; squash

Characters

Literally 'southern melon' — pumpkins were introduced to China from the Americas via Southeast Asia, hence the 'southern' designation.

Examples

Jīntiān wǒ zuò le yì wǎn nánguā zhōu.
Today I made a bowl of pumpkin porridge.
Wànshèngjié de shíhou, rénmen huì diāokè nánguā dēng.
During Halloween, people carve pumpkin lanterns.

Tips

culture
Chinese melon names are a geography lesson: 南瓜 (nánguā, 'south melon' = pumpkin), 西瓜 (xīguā, 'west melon' = watermelon, from Central Asia), 冬瓜 (dōngguā, 'winter melon'), 黄瓜 (huángguā, 'yellow melon' = cucumber). The family is big.

Stroke Order

nán
guā