粥
zhōuusually
In Chinese, porridge is 粥 (zhōu).
The term 粥 refers to a breakfast cereal dish. For example, if you want to specify pork porridge, you can use zhū ròu zhōu.
Meaning: breakfast cereal dish (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the term for porridge is juk. In Hokkien, the word for porridge is png-tng.
How do you pronounce it?
zhōu
Did you know?
- Linguists suggest 粥 may be a cognate of the Tibetan word thug pa, which refers to a style of soup or gruel.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, different types of 粥 are prescribed for different ailments, such as using mung bean porridge to 'cool' the body.
- In many Chinese households, savory porridge is eaten with a side of pickled vegetables or salted duck eggs to balance the bland flavor.
Examples in context
- 俗話說：高麗菜湯和粥是我們的食物。There is a saying: cabbage soup and porridge are our food.This sentence is useful for illustrating how 粥 is mentioned in traditional sayings.Tatoeba #13539985 by LeviHighway, translation #10532108 by AlanF_US
- 唯有加很多糖才能讓我喝得下粥。The only way I can eat porridge is with lots of sugar.This sentence shows how one might express a preference for eating 粥 with sugar.Tatoeba #10650611 by DaoSeng, translation #10648452 by sundown
- 這碗熱粥很好喝。Zhè wǎn rè zhōu hěn hǎo hē.This bowl of hot porridge is delicious.
Example conversation
A couple is having breakfast at home.
- 伟 Wei曉雯，你想喝粥嗎？Xiǎowén, nǐ xiǎng hē zhōu ma?Xiaowen, do you want to drink some porridge?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我想喝，謝謝你。Wǒ xiǎng hē, xièxiè nǐ.I would like some, thank you.
- 伟 Wei這碗粥我剛煮好。Zhè wǎn zhōu wǒ gāng zhǔ hǎo.I just finished cooking this porridge.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen偉，這看起來很香。Wěi, zhè kàn qǐlái hěn xiāng.Wei, this looks very fragrant.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “porridge” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 粥, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
