棉花糖
miánhuātáng
The English phrase "cotton candy" is translated into Chinese as 棉花糖 (miánhuātáng).
棉花糖 refers to the spun sugar confectionery.
Meaning: spun sugar confectionery (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 棉花, meaning "cotton flower" or "cotton plant" and 糖, meaning "sugar".
How do you pronounce it?
miánhuātáng
Did you know?
- In China, 棉花糖 is often shaped into elaborate 3D figures like flowers or animals instead of the traditional cloud shape, turning the treat into a piece of edible art.
- The character 棉 (mián) is a phono-semantic compound, combining the 'silk' radical with a phonetic element to describe materials that feel like silk.
- The word 糖 (táng) is also a component in many medicinal terms in Chinese, where it refers to sugar-based syrups used in traditional treatments.
Examples in context
- 有一天我买了一台棉花糖机。Someday I will buy a cotton candy machine.This sentence illustrates the use of 棉花糖 when discussing purchasing a machine.Tatoeba #502853 by fucongcong, translation #1886 by Swift
- 这个棉花糖太甜了。Zhège miánhuātáng tài tián le.This cotton candy is too sweet.
- 你想吃棉花糖吗？Nǐ xiǎng chī miánhuātáng ma?Do you want to eat some cotton candy?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a night market, a girl asks a boy to share a snack.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen伟，你看那个棉花糖！Wěi, nǐ kàn nàge miánhuātáng!Wei, look at that cotton candy!
- 伟 Wei真漂亮，我们要买吗？Zhēn piàoliang, wǒmen yào mǎi ma?It is really pretty, should we buy it?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好啊，我好喜欢吃。Hǎo a, wǒ hǎo xǐhuān chī.Yes, I love eating it.
- 伟 Wei那我们走过去吧。Nà wǒmen zǒu guòqu ba.Then let's walk over there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cotton candy” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
