粉丝

粉絲

fěnsī

noun HSK 7 #2,430

Measure Word

一个粉丝 gè

Meanings

1 fans (of a celebrity, team, etc.)
2 followers
3 glass noodles; bean thread noodles

Characters

Originally refers to glass noodles (thin translucent noodles). The 'fan' meaning is a phonetic borrowing from English 'fans'.

Examples

她有几百万粉丝。

Tā yǒu jǐ bǎi wàn fěnsī.

She has millions of fans.

粉丝们在机场等他。

Fěnsīmen zài jīchǎng děng tā.

The fans were waiting for him at the airport.

Tips

usage

粉丝 has two completely different meanings: (1) fans/followers (from English 'fans'), extremely common online and in entertainment media, and (2) glass noodles, a traditional food item. Context makes the meaning clear.

memory

粉丝 sounds like 'fans' in English — that's exactly where the slang meaning comes from.

Stroke Order

粉 fěn

丝 sī