米

• Pinyin: mǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 米 = pictograph of grains of rice on a stalk; borrowed phonetically for 'metre'

Meaning

Metre (unit of length); also means rice or uncooked grain.

As a measure word, 米 is the standard unit for length in China (the metric system). As a noun, it refers to uncooked rice or grain. Context usually makes the meaning clear. In length measurement, also appears in 厘米 (centimetre), 千米 (kilometre).

Examples

1. 这条河有五十米宽。 This river is fifty metres wide.
2. 他的身高是一米八。 He is 1.8 metres tall.
3. 我家离学校大约三百米。 My home is about three hundred metres from the school.

Usage Guide

Context: measurement, everyday, food

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这个房间有二十平方米。(This room is twenty square metres.)
• 请给我两斤米。(Please give me two jin of rice.)

Don't Say

• 不要说'一个米' (Don't use 个 with 米 as a measurement — just say 一米; 米 itself functions as the measure word for length)

Origin & History

Originally a pictograph of grains of rice on a stalk. The meaning of 'metre' was borrowed as a phonetic translation of the French word 'mètre' during the adoption of the metric system.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal