曲奇
qūqíMainland China
The English word cookie is translated into Chinese as 曲奇 (qūqí). Wiktionary also lists 餅乾 / 饼干 (bǐnggān) and 曲奇餅 / 曲奇饼 (qūqíbǐng).
Meaning: small, flat baked good (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 曲奇 | qūqí | Mainland China |
| 餅乾 / 饼干 | bǐnggān | |
| 曲奇餅 / 曲奇饼 | qūqíbǐng | Mainland China |
The term 曲奇 refers specifically to the sweet, buttery style of Western-style cookies. Because it is a phonetic transliteration of the English word, it can also be used as a proper noun for a character or a pet named Cookie.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 曲奇餅 combines the transliterated 曲奇 (cookie) with 餅 (cake/biscuit) to explicitly denote a baked sweet snack.
Which one should you use?
While 曲奇 specifically refers to sweet, Western-style cookies, 餅乾 is a much broader term used for all types of biscuits, crackers and cookies.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mainland China, 曲奇 is commonly used to describe Western-style sweet cookies. The term 曲奇餅 is also used in Mainland China to explicitly denote a baked sweet snack.
How do you pronounce it?
qūqí
Did you know?
- The phrase 曲奇 is a phonetic transliteration, meaning the characters were chosen for their sound rather than their original meanings of 'curved' and 'strange'.
- The term 曲奇 did not enter Mandarin directly from English, but traveled through Cantonese first.
- While 餅乾 refers to cookies and crackers, the character 乾 literally means 'dry', describing the texture rather than the ingredients.
Examples in context
- 這是巧克力曲奇嗎？Is this a chocolate chip cookie?This example is useful for asking if a cookie is chocolate chip using 曲奇.Tatoeba #13544098 by LeviHighway, translation #10107379 by ddnktr
- 先讓曲奇待在那裡吧。Let Cookie sit there for now.This example shows how 曲奇 can be used as a proper noun for a pet.Tatoeba #13545637 by LeviHighway, translation #13050178 by rul
- 曲奇在跑步輪上跑步。Cookie ran on his exercise wheel.Tatoeba #13545643 by LeviHighway, translation #13147692 by rul
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jun Jie and Jia Yi are sharing a snack at home.
- 俊杰 Junjie你想吃曲奇嗎？Nǐ xiǎng chī qǔqí ma?Do you want to eat some cookies?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想吃，謝謝你。Wǒ xiǎng chī, xièxiè nǐ.I do, thank you.
- 俊杰 Junjie這裡有很多曲奇。Zhèlǐ yǒu hěnduō qǔqí.There are many cookies here.
- 佳怡 Jiayi這盒曲奇看起來很好吃。Zhè hé qǔqí kàn qǐlái hěn hào chī.This box of cookies looks delicious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cookie” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 曲奇, 曲奇餅, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
