栗子
lìzi
The English word "chestnut" is translated into Chinese as 栗子 (lìzi). Wiktionary also lists 板栗 (bǎnlì).
Meaning: edible nut of the Spanish chestnut or sweet chestnut tree (Castanea sativa), nut from a related shrub or tree, similar nut from an unrelated plant (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 栗子 | lìzi |
| 板栗 | bǎnlì |
Both 栗子 and 板栗 refer to the edible nut of the sweet chestnut tree or similar nuts from related shrubs and trees.
Which one should you use?
栗子 is the more common, colloquial term used in everyday spoken language.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Fujianese dialect, the word 栗仔 is used to refer to a chestnut.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the word 栗子, the suffix 子 (zi) is a common noun-forming morpheme in Chinese. It does not carry a separate meaning of "child" in this context.
How do you pronounce it?
lìzi
Did you know?
- While 栗子 refers to the nut, the character 栗 is also used in classical Chinese to describe a certain type of 'shivering' or 'trembling' feeling, though this is a completely different sense.
- Chinese medicine historically classifies the 栗子 as a 'warm' food, meaning it is believed to generate heat in the body.
- The character 板 in 板栗 means 'board' or 'plank', which may intuitively suggest the hard, flat shell of certain varieties compared to others.
Examples in context
- 我想要一些栗子，谢谢。I would like some chestnuts, please.
- 你能推荐一道有栗子的菜吗？Can you recommend a dish with chestnuts?
- 这些栗子很甜。zhèxiē lìzi hěn tián.These chestnuts are very sweet.
- 我喜欢吃烤栗子。wǒ xǐhuan chī kǎo lìzi.I like eating roasted chestnuts.
- 他在剥栗子。tā zài bāo lìzi.He is peeling the chestnuts.
Example conversation
At a street market in autumn.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，你看，这里的栗子很新鲜。Zhìqiáng, nǐ kàn, zhèlǐ de lìzi hěn xīnxiān.Zhiqiang, look, the chestnuts here are very fresh.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好香啊，我们要买一些吗？Hǎo xiāng a, wǒmen yào mǎi yìxiē ma?They smell so good, shall we buy some?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好，买一袋热的吧。Hǎo, mǎi yí dài rè de ba.Okay, let's buy a bag of hot ones.
- 志强 Zhiqiang没问题，我这就去买。Méi wèntí, wǒ zhè jiù qù mǎi.No problem, I'll go buy them now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chestnut” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
