蜂蜜
fēngmì/fɤŋ⁵⁵ mi⁵¹/
The English word honey is translated into Chinese as 蜂蜜 (fēngmì). Wiktionary also lists 蜂糖 (fēngtáng).
Meaning: sweet substance produced by bees (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蜂蜜 | fēngmì | /fɤŋ⁵⁵ mi⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /foŋ⁵⁵ mi²¹/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 蜂糖 | fēngtáng | /fɤŋ⁵⁵ tʰɑŋ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /foŋ⁵⁵ tʰaŋ²¹/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 蜂蜜 | phang-bi̍t, hong-bi̍t | /pʰaŋ³³ bit̚²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Philippines, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) /pʰaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ bit̚⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Taipei, Kaohsiung, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
| 蜜 | bi̍t | /bit̚⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Taipei, Kaohsiung, General Taiwanese) /bit̚¹²¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
The term refers to the sweet substance produced by bees.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 蜂蜜 is a compound consisting of 蜂, which means 'bee' and 蜜, which means 'honey'.
Which one should you use?
蜂蜜 is the standard full noun for honey, while the single character 蜜 can be used as shorthand or within other compounds to refer to honey or sweet substances.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The Dungan form фынми is used in Dungan. In Hokkien, you can use 蜂蜜 (romanized as phang-bi̍t or hong-bi̍t) or the shorter form 蜜 (bi̍t).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for the Hokkien form 蜂蜜 is /fɤŋ⁵⁵ mi⁵¹/.
Did you know?
- The word for honey, 蜜, is a distant phonetic relative of the English word 'mead' and the Sanskrit word 'madhu' through a deep historical connection.
- While English uses 'honey' for both the food and a term of endearment, in Chinese, you would use the word 甜 (sweet) or other terms rather than calling a person 蜂蜜.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, 蜂蜜 is not just a sweetener but is categorized as a medicinal substance used to moisten the lungs.
Examples in context
- 我该买多少蜂蜜？How much honey should I buy?This sentence shows how to ask about the quantity of 蜂蜜 to purchase.Tatoeba #11243407 by klzlueylx, translation #6439290 by CK
- 我喜歡吃蜂蜜花生醬三明治。I like to eat honey and peanut butter sandwiches.This sentence uses 蜂蜜 to describe a food preference.Tatoeba #13545621 by LeviHighway, translation #8741048 by Solana
- 生活就像是舔仙人掌上的蜂蜜。Life is like licking honey off a cactus.This sentence uses 蜂蜜 in a metaphorical comparison.Tatoeba #1749194 by sadhen, translation #1617876 by Benjameno
- 亲亲，你做的饭太好吃了！Honey, the food you cooked is so delicious!
- 老公，我们一起去旅行吧！Honey, let's go on a trip together!
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are shopping at a grocery store.
- 梓涵 Zihan這瓶蜂蜜多少錢？zhè píng fēngmì duōshǎo qián?How much is this bottle of honey?
- 伟 Wei這瓶要五百塊。zhè píng yào wǔbǎi kuài.This bottle is five hundred dollars.
- 梓涵 Zihan太貴了，我們換別的吧。tài guì le, wǒmen huàn bié de ba.It's too expensive, let's pick something else.
- 伟 Wei好，我們去看其他的。hǎo, wǒmen qù kàn qítā de.Okay, let's go look at others.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “honey” translations and entries 蜂蜜, 蜂糖, 蜂蜜, 蜜, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 蜜, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
