黄瓜

• Pinyin: huáng guā
• Hanzi breakdown: 黄 = a character depicting the colour yellow, possibly from the colour of earth; 瓜 = pictograph of a melon hanging from a vine

Meaning

Cucumber. A long, green vegetable commonly eaten raw, in salads, or in stir-fries.

One of the most common vegetables in Chinese cuisine. Can be eaten raw as a cold dish (凉拌黄瓜, cucumber salad), stir-fried, or pickled. Also used in skincare as face masks. Despite the name literally meaning 'yellow melon,' cucumbers are typically eaten when green. The name reflects the colour when fully ripe.

Examples

1. 凉拌黄瓜是一道很受欢迎的凉菜。 Cucumber salad is a very popular cold dish.
2. 妈妈让我去超市买两根黄瓜。 Mum asked me to go to the supermarket to buy two cucumbers.
3. 她喜欢用黄瓜片敷在脸上美容。 She likes to put cucumber slices on her face for beauty treatment.

Usage Guide

Context: food, cooking, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 来一盘凉拌黄瓜。(I'll have a plate of cucumber salad.)
• 黄瓜可以生吃也可以炒着吃。(Cucumbers can be eaten raw or stir-fried.)

Don't Say

• 我要一个黄色的瓜 (Don't literally say 'a yellow melon' to mean cucumber — just say 黄瓜 as a fixed compound; a 黄色的瓜 would refer to an actual yellow-coloured melon)

Origin & History

黄 (huáng, yellow) + 瓜 (guā, melon/gourd) — literally 'yellow melon,' named for the colour of the fully ripened fruit, though it is typically eaten green.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal