草莓
cǎoméi
The Chinese word for strawberry is 草莓 (cǎoméi).
草莓 refers to the strawberry fruit. When you want to describe something as being strawberry flavored, such as yogurt or ice cream, you add the word 味 (wèi, flavor/taste) after 草莓 to form 草莓味.
Meaning: accessory fruit (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 草莓 is a compound of 草 (grass) and 莓 (berry), literally meaning "grass berry".
How do you pronounce it?
cǎoméi
Did you know?
- In many Chinese supermarkets, strawberries are often sold in much larger, premium gift boxes than in English-speaking countries, treating the fruit as a high-end social gift.
- In China, strawberries are sometimes associated with 'youth' and 'innocence' in modern internet slang, often appearing in aesthetics known as 'strawberry girl' style.
- Because 草莓 is a calque of the English 'strawberry', it behaves like an imported concept in Chinese linguistics, appearing much later in written records than many native fruit names.
Examples in context
- 她喜歡吃草莓味的酸奶。She likes to drink strawberry-flavored yogurt.This sentence shows how to use 草莓 when describing strawberry-flavored yogurt.Tatoeba #6100184 by xjjAstrus, translation #6106890 by Sethlang
- 我喜歡草莓味的冰淇淋。I like strawberry ice cream.This sentence shows how to use 草莓 when describing strawberry ice cream.Tatoeba #8824163 by xjjAstrus, translation #1129683 by CK
- 這個冰淇淋不是草莓味的。This ice cream is not strawberry flavoured.This sentence shows how to use 草莓 when stating that an item is not strawberry flavored.Tatoeba #8824164 by xjjAstrus, translation #8826931 by francaisr0wlet
- 我今天买了一盒草莓。I bought a box of strawberries today.
- 这个草莓儿真好吃！This strawberry is so delicious!
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are at a fruit market.
- 俊杰 Junjie這籃草莓看起來很新鮮。Zhè lán cǎoméi kàn qǐlái hěn xīnxiān.This basket of strawberries looks very fresh.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我也覺得，我們買一點吧。Wǒ yě juéde, wǒmen mǎi yīdiǎn ba.I think so too, let's buy some.
- 俊杰 Junjie你要不要再買些葡萄？Nǐ yào bù yào zài mǎi xiē pútáo?Do you want to buy some grapes as well?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen不用了，買草莓就好了。Bùyòng le, mǎi cǎoméi jiù hǎole.No thanks, just buying strawberries is enough.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “strawberry” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 草莓, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
