糖

• Pinyin: táng
• Hanzi breakdown: 糖 = 米 (rice) + 唐 (Tang, phonetic component)

Meaning

Sugar; candy; sweets. Refers to the sweet substance used in cooking or confections made from it.

Can mean sugar as an ingredient (白糖, white sugar; 红糖, brown sugar) or candy as a snack (水果糖, fruit candy; 奶糖, toffee). Very common in daily life, especially in food and cooking contexts.

Examples

1. 这杯咖啡需要加糖吗？ Does this coffee need sugar?
2. 小孩子都喜欢吃糖。 Children all like eating sweets.
3. 做这道菜要放两勺糖。 You need to add two spoonfuls of sugar for this dish.

Usage Guide

Context: food, cooking, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你的茶里要加糖吗？(Do you want sugar in your tea?)
• 医生说要少吃糖。(The doctor says to eat less sugar.)

Don't Say

• 我想喝一杯糖。(Don't use 糖 alone as a drink — 糖 is an ingredient or a sweet. Say 糖水 (sugar water) for a sweet drink.)

Origin & History

糖 = 米 (rice) + 唐 (Tang dynasty, phonetic). The rice radical indicates its food-related nature, as sugar was historically processed from grains.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal