Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 雪花 | xuěhuā |
| 雪片 | xuěpiàn |
In Chinese, the term for snowflake depends on whether you are emphasizing the visual beauty of the snow or the physical shape of the individual pieces. 雪花 is used when describing the aesthetic, flower-like appearance of falling snow. In contrast, 雪片 is used to emphasize the distinct, flat, piece-like shape of the flakes, particularly in descriptions of heavy snowfall such as 大雪纷飞，雪片落地, where the flakes are viewed as many individual falling pieces.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 雪花 is a compound of 雪 (snow) and 花 (flower). The word 雪片 is a compound of 雪 (snow) and 片 (flake, slice or thin piece).
Which one should you use?
雪花 (xuěhuā) focuses on the beautiful, flower-like appearance of the snow, while 雪片 (xuěpiàn) emphasizes the individual, flat, piece-like shape of the flakes.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Northern China, the term 雪花兒 is commonly used.
How do you pronounce it?
xuěhuā
Did you know?
- While 雪花 literally means 'snow flower', it is also the common term for the 'snow' or static seen on an old analogue television screen.
- Unlike the English 'snowflake', which can be a slang term for a sensitive person, 雪花 is almost never used as a metaphor for personality in Chinese.
- The term 雪花 is frequently used in the names of traditional Chinese desserts and sweets that are white and fluffy to mimic the look of fallen snow.
Examples in context
- 今天的雪花纷飞，真美丽！Today's snowflakes are falling, so beautiful!
- 每个雪花都是独一无二的。Every snowflake is unique.
- 当雪花轻轻落在大地上时，整个世界都变得安静了。When the snowflakes gently fall to the ground, the whole world becomes quiet.
- 今天下的雪片好大！The snowflakes today are so big!
- 那些纷纷扬扬的雪片降临了。The fluttering snowflakes have arrived.
- 小孩子们欢快地伸出手，接住了下落的雪片。The children happily reached out their hands and caught the falling snowflakes.
- 你看，天空中飘着雪花。Nǐ kàn, tiānkōng zhōng piāo zhe xuěhuā.Look, snowflakes are drifting in the sky.
- 每一朵雪花的形状都不同。Měi yī duǒ xuěhuā de xíngzhuàng dōu bùtóng.The shape of every snowflake is different.
- 雪花落在我的手心里。Xuěhuā luò zài wǒ de shǒuxīn lǐ.The snowflakes land in my palm.
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Zihan are looking out the window at the first snow.
- 志强 Zhiqiang梓涵，快看窗外！Zǐhán, kuài kàn chuāngwài!Zihan, look out the window quickly!
- 梓涵 Zihan哇，雪花开始掉了。Wa, xuěhuā kāishǐ diào le.Wow, the snowflakes have started to fall.
- 志强 Zhiqiang这些雪花真大。Zhèxiē xuěhuā zhēn dà.These snowflakes are really big.
- 梓涵 Zihan我想去接几朵。Wǒ xiǎng qù jiē jǐ duǒ.I want to go catch a few.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “snowflake” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
