香蕉

• Pinyin: xiāng jiāo
• Hanzi breakdown: 香 = 禾 (grain) + 日 (sun), meaning fragrant; 蕉 = 艹 (grass) + 焦 (scorched, phonetic)

Meaning

Banana. A common tropical fruit with yellow skin and soft, sweet flesh.

A straightforward noun for the fruit. Commonly seen in everyday shopping, cooking, and dietary contexts. In internet slang, 香蕉人 (banana person) refers to someone of Chinese descent who is culturally Western, but this usage is informal and can be considered offensive.

Examples

1. 我每天早上吃一根香蕉。 I eat a banana every morning.
2. 超市里的香蕉今天打折。 The bananas at the supermarket are on sale today.
3. 香蕉是一种很有营养的水果。 Bananas are a very nutritious fruit.

Usage Guide

Context: food, shopping, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我想买几根香蕉。(I want to buy a few bananas.)
• 这根香蕉熟了，可以吃了。(This banana is ripe and ready to eat.)

Don't Say

• 给我一个香蕉。(Use the measure word 根 for bananas — say 一根香蕉, not 一个香蕉.)

Origin & History

香 means 'fragrant' and 蕉 refers to a type of large-leafed plant. The name describes the fruit's pleasant aroma from this fragrant-leaved plant.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal