白胡椒
báihújiāo
The English phrase "white pepper" is translated into Chinese as 白胡椒 (báihújiāo).
白胡椒 refers to the light-colored seed of a pepper plant.
Meaning: Light-colored seed of pepper (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 白 (white) and 胡椒, which is a classical term for pepper.
How do you pronounce it?
báihújiāo
Did you know?
- The character 胡 in 白胡椒 was once a generic term for 'barbarians' or non-Han peoples from the west. This reveals that the Chinese viewed pepper as an exotic import from Central Asia rather than a native plant.
- While 白胡椒 shares the character 椒 with 花椒 (Sichuan pepper), the two are entirely different plants. One is a true pepper from the Piper nigrum vine and the other is a husk from a different genus.
- The color 'white' in 白胡椒 is not a genetic trait of the plant but the result of a processing technique. The outer skin of the berry is removed through soaking to create the light-colored seed.
Examples in context
- 请给我一点白胡椒。Please give me some white pepper.
- 给我来点白胡椒粉。Give me some white pepper powder, please.
- 菜里有白胡椒粉末吗？Is there white pepper powder in the dish?
- 这种汤里加了白胡椒。Zhè zhǒng tāng lǐ jiā le bái hújiāo.This soup has white pepper in it.
- 我们需要买一些白胡椒。Wǒmen xūyào mǎi yìxiē bái hújiāo.We need to buy some white pepper.
- 白胡椒的味道很香。Bái hújiāo de wèidào hěn xiāng.The scent of the white pepper is very fragrant.
Example conversation
Wei and Xiaowen are cooking in the kitchen.
- 伟 Wei晓雯，白胡椒在哪里？Xiǎowén, bái hújiāo zài nǎlǐ?Xiaowen, where is the white pepper?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen在那个小罐子里。Zài nàge xiǎo guànzi lǐ.It is in that small jar.
- 伟 Wei我找到了，谢谢。Wǒ zhǎodào le, xièxiè.I found it, thanks.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen不客气，快放进汤里吧。Bú kèqì, kuài fàng jìn tāng lǐ ba.You're welcome, hurry and put it in the soup.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “white pepper” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
