柑橘
gānjú
In Chinese, the word for citrus is 柑橘 (gānjú). Wiktionary also lists 柑橘屬 / 柑橘属 (gānjúshǔ) and 柑橘類 / 柑橘类 (gānjúlèi).
Meaning: shrub or tree (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 柑橘 | gānjú |
| 柑橘屬 / 柑橘属 | gānjúshǔ |
| 柑橘類 / 柑橘类 | gānjúlèi |
The term refers to a shrub or tree.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 柑橘 is composed of 柑 and 橘, both of which refer to types of citrus fruits.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify the term to change its specific meaning: adding the suffix 屬 to 柑橘 creates the biological taxonomic designation for the genus Citrus (柑橘屬 / 柑橘属), while adding the suffix 類 to 柑橘 refers to the general category or group of citrus fruits (柑橘類 / 柑橘类).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is gānjú.
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese medicine, the peel of the 柑橘 is treated as a separate medicinal ingredient called 陳皮 or 'aged peel'. It is aged for years to change its chemical properties for treating coughs.
- In Chinese culture, certain citrus fruits mentioned within the 柑橘 category are essential for 'Lunar New Year' decorations to symbolize prosperity.
- Ancient Chinese texts used 柑 and 橘 to distinguish between different cultivars of citrus that we now group together. Historically, 柑 referred to the larger, sweeter varieties while 橘 referred to smaller, more acidic ones.
Examples in context
- 柑橘是中国南方最常见的水果之一。Citrus is one of the most common fruits in southern China.
- 热天喝一杯柑橙汁非常解渴。Drinking a cup of citrus juice on a hot day is very thirst-quenching.
- 要多吃水果，水果对身体非常有益处，尤其是柑橙这样的果子。Eat more fruit, fruit is very beneficial to the body, especially fruits like citrus.
- 廣東人愛食柑，酸甜可口及富有香氣。Cantonese people love eating citrus, which is sweet, sour, and fragrant.
- 这种柑橘非常甜。Zhè zhǒng gānjú fēicháng tián.This kind of citrus is very sweet.
- 柑橘树开花了。Gānjú shù kāihuā le.The citrus tree has bloomed.
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Jiayi are visiting a botanical garden.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你看，那边是柑橘区。Nǐ kàn, nàbiān shì gānjú qū.Look, that is the citrus area.
- 志强 Zhiqiang这些柑橘看起来很健康。Zhèxiē gānjú kàn qǐlái hěn jiànkāng.These citrus trees look very healthy.
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，这里的气候很合适。Shì de, zhèlǐ de qìhòu hěn héshì.Yes, the climate here is very suitable.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我也想种一棵柑橘。Wǒ yě xiǎng zhòng yì kē gānjú.I want to plant a citrus tree too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “citrus” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
