Fruit in Chinese 水果
shuǐguǒ
Fruit in Chinese is 水果 (shuǐ guǒ).
Also searched for as: fruits, apple, banana, watermelon.
Ingredients: sweet things. 15 essential fruit words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Fruit, 水果 (shuǐ guǒ), is a big part of everyday eating in China, often served after a meal or offered to guests. Many names are simple compounds: 苹果 (píng guǒ) is apple and 西瓜 (xī guā), literally 'western melon', is watermelon. Southern fruits like 荔枝 (lì zhī), lychee, and 芒果 (máng guǒ), mango, are especially loved in summer, and 新鲜 (xīn xiān), 'fresh', is the word every market seller uses.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 水果 | shuǐ guǒ | fruit |
| 苹果 | píng guǒ | apple |
| 香蕉 | xiāng jiāo | banana |
| 橙子 | chéng zi | orange |
| 西瓜 | xī guā | watermelon |
| 葡萄 | pú tao | grape |
| 草莓 | cǎo méi | strawberry |
| 梨 | lí | pear |
| 桃子 | táo zi | peach |
| 芒果 | máng guǒ | mango |
| 菠萝 | bō luó | pineapple |
| 柠檬 | níng méng | lemon |
| 荔枝 | lì zhī | lychee |
| 樱桃 | yīng táo | cherry |
| 新鲜 | xīn xiān | fresh |
Usage tips
- At markets fruit is usually sold by weight, priced per 斤 (jīn), which is half a kilo, so ask 多少钱一斤？ (duō shao qián yī jīn?).
- A bag of fruit is a common, polite gift when visiting elders or someone who's ill, though some people avoid cutting a pear to share, because 分梨 (fēn lí) sounds like 分离 (fēn lí), 'to be separated'.
- Bananas take 根 (gēn), as in 一根香蕉 (yī gēn xiāng jiāo), and grapes come in bunches, 一串葡萄 (yī chuàn pú tao).
Common mistakes
- Mixing up 橙子 (chéng zi), a round orange, and 橘子 (jú zi), a mandarin or tangerine that's easy to peel.
- Saying lǐ for pear: 梨 is second tone, lí, while third-tone 李 (lǐ) is a plum and a common surname.
Mini dialogue
- A你最喜欢什么水果？Nǐ zuì xǐ huan shén me shuǐ guǒ?What's your favourite fruit?
- B我最喜欢芒果，你呢？Wǒ zuì xǐ huan máng guǒ, nǐ ne?Mango. How about you?
- A我喜欢西瓜，夏天吃最好了。Wǒ xǐ huan xī guā, xià tiān chī zuì hǎo le.I love watermelon. It's best in summer.
- B这些草莓也很新鲜，我们买一点儿吧。Zhè xiē cǎo méi yě hěn xīn xiān, wǒ men mǎi yī diǎnr ba.These strawberries are really fresh too. Let's buy some.
Example sentences
- 你最喜欢什么水果？What's your favourite fruit?
- 一天一个苹果，医生远离我。An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
- 猴子在吃香蕉。The monkey is eating a banana.
- 这个橙子很甜。This orange is very sweet.
- 夏天吃西瓜最好了。Watermelon is the best thing in summer.
- 这些葡萄是新疆的。These grapes are from Xinjiang.
- 我们去农场摘草莓吧。Let's go strawberry picking on a farm.
- 秋天的梨又大又甜。Pears in autumn are big and sweet.
- 这个桃子已经熟了。This peach is ripe now.
- 我想要一杯芒果汁。I'd like a mango juice.
- 菠萝要先用盐水泡一下。You should soak pineapple in salt water first.
- 我喜欢在水里放一片柠檬。I like putting a slice of lemon in my water.
- 荔枝是南方的水果。Lychees are a southern fruit.
- 樱桃很好吃，但是很贵。Cherries are delicious but expensive.
- 这些水果很新鲜。This fruit is very fresh.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Fruit speaking island has 8 everyday questions about fruit to prepare your own answers to.