糙米
cāomǐ
The English phrase "brown rice" is 糙米 (cāomǐ) in Chinese.
糙米 refers to unpolished rice.
Meaning: unpolished rice (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The character 糙 (cāo) means rough or coarse, referring to the unpolished texture of the grain.
Which one should you use?
In discussions regarding nutrition and health, 糙米 is often contrasted with 白米 (white rice).
How do you pronounce it?
cāomǐ
Did you know?
- The character 糙 (cāo) is used beyond food to describe people's personalities. Calling someone's manner 糙 means they are blunt, unrefined or lacking in delicacy.
- While 糙米 is the technical term for brown rice, you may see 玄米 (xuánmǐ) on packaging or in health contexts. The character 玄 means 'mysterious' or 'deep black', reflecting an ancient view of the grain's dark hue.
- If you ask for 'brown rice' using only the word for the color 'brown' (棕色), a shopkeeper might be confused, as they expect the texture-based term 糙米.
Examples in context
- 你更喜歡白米還是糙米呢？Do you prefer white rice or brown rice?This sentence is useful for comparing a preference between 糙米 and white rice.Tatoeba #10759819 by DaoSeng, translation #681943 by Source_VOA
- 晚餐我想吃糙米饭，你呢？I want to eat brown rice for dinner, what about you?
- 糙米含有更多營養。Cāomǐ hányǒu gèng duō yíngyǎng.Brown rice contains more nutrition.
- 我想買一袋糙米。Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yī dài cāomǐ.I want to buy a bag of brown rice.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a supermarket, deciding what to buy for dinner.
- 雨婷 Yuting我們買白米還是糙米？Wǒmen mǎi báimǐ háishì cāomǐ?Should we buy white rice or brown rice?
- 伟 Wei糙米比較健康。Cāomǐ bǐjiào jiànkāng.Brown rice is healthier.
- 雨婷 Yuting好，那買糙米吧。Hǎo, nà mǎi cāomǐ ba.Okay, let's buy brown rice then.
- 伟 Wei我也這麼覺得。Wǒ yě zhème juéde.I think so too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brown rice” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
