牛角麵包 / 牛角面包
niújiǎo miànbāo
The Chinese word for croissant is 牛角麵包 / 牛角面包 (niújiǎo miànbāo), which literally means ox horn bread. Shorter or other names include 牛角包, 羊角麵包 / 羊角面包 and 可頌 / 可颂. If unsure, use 牛角麵包 / 牛角面包. Wiktionary also lists 新月形麵包 / 新月形面包 (xīnyuè xíng miànbāo) and 羊角包 (yángjiǎobāo).
Meaning: a flaky roll or pastry in a form of a crescent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 牛角麵包 / 牛角面包 | niújiǎo miànbāo |
| 新月形麵包 / 新月形面包 | xīnyuè xíng miànbāo |
| 牛角包 | niújiǎobāo |
| 羊角麵包 / 羊角面包 | yángjiǎo miànbāo |
| 可頌 / 可颂 | kěsòng |
| 羊角包 | yángjiǎobāo |
These words all name the flaky crescent shaped pastry sold in bakeries and cafes.
What does it mean word for word?
牛角麵包 is made of 牛角, ox horn and 麵包, bread. The name comes from the crescent shape of the pastry. 羊角面包 means sheep horn bread.
Which one should you use?
可頌 / 可颂 (kěsòng) is a sound based borrowing of the French word croissant and is often seen on bakery menus. 牛角包 and 羊角包 are shorter everyday forms. 新月形麵包 / 新月形面包 (xīnyuè xíng miànbāo) means crescent shaped bread.
How do you pronounce it?
Say it as niújiǎo miànbāo.
Did you know?
- The loanword 可頌 is a phonetic approximation of the French 'croissant' and is typically used in high-end cafes or specialty bakeries to sound more authentic or sophisticated.
- Chinese descriptive names like 牛角包 prioritize the visual shape of the object over its origin, a common trait in how Chinese names food items introduced from abroad.
- The term 牛角包 (niújiǎo bāo) is a common shorthand used in daily life, where 'bao' implies a bun or stuffed bread, even though a croissant is flaky.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “croissant” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
