豆
dòu/toʊ̯⁵¹/
In Chinese, the word for bean is 豆 (dòu).
豆 refers to the seed of a Fabaceae plant. In many contexts, it refers specifically to soybeans. For example, 豆浆 is the common term for soy milk. To refer to the general category of legumes or types of beans, the suffix 类 (meaning 'type' or 'category') is added to form 豆类.
Meaning: seed of a Fabaceae plant (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 豆 is the root word, 大豆 is used as the formal and specific name for the soybean.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the word for bean is commonly referred to as 豆.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix 类 (lèi), meaning 'type' or 'category', is added to 豆 to refer to the general category of legumes or beans.
How do you pronounce it?
dòu
Did you know?
- The character 豆 was originally a pictogram representing a specific type of ritual container rather than a plant.
Examples in context
- 阿嗄拉咭是源自非洲的巴西食品，是豇豆面团、洋葱和盐，经棕榈油炸，与虾和辣酱一起食用的食品。Acaraje, a Brazilian food from Africa, is a ball of caupi bean dough, onions, and salt, fried in palm oil and served with shrimp and a spicy sauce.This sentence shows how 豆 is used to describe the dough in the food Acaraje.Tatoeba #5685964 by verdastelo9604, translation #3389242 by hoffmania
- 綠豆Mung beanThis sentence uses 豆 to name the mung bean.
- 蠶豆Fava beanThis sentence uses 豆 to name the fava bean.
- 我很喜欢在炒面里吃豆芽。I really enjoy eating bean sprouts in my stir-fried noodles.
Example conversation
晓雯 and 俊杰 are at a grocery store.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen俊杰，你想买什么豆子？Jùnjié, nǐ xiǎng mǎi shénme dòuzi?俊杰, what kind of beans do you want to buy?
- 俊杰 Junjie我想买一些黄豆。Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yīxiē huángdòu.I want to buy some soybeans.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen这里有很多种豆。Zhèlǐ yǒu hěnduō zhǒng dòu.There are many kinds of beans here.
- 俊杰 Junjie那我们买这些吧。Nà wǒmen mǎi zhèxiē ba.Then let's buy these.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bean” translations and entries 豆, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 豆, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
