勺

• Pinyin: sháo
• Hanzi breakdown: 勺 = pictograph of a spoon with its bowl shape

Meaning

Spoon; ladle; scoop. A utensil with a shallow bowl for eating or serving.

Refers to spoons of various sizes, from small teaspoons to large ladles. Common collocations include 勺子 (spoon), 汤勺 (soup ladle), and 茶勺 (teaspoon). Used in everyday dining and cooking contexts.

Examples

1. 请给我一把勺子，筷子我用不习惯。 Please give me a spoon — I'm not used to chopsticks.
2. 她用勺子轻轻搅动着咖啡。 She gently stirred the coffee with a spoon.
3. 厨师用大勺舀起一勺汤尝了尝味道。 The chef scooped up a ladle of soup with the big spoon to taste it.

Usage Guide

Context: dining, cooking, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 用勺子吃更方便。(It's more convenient to eat with a spoon.)
• 给我一个汤勺。(Give me a soup ladle.)

Don't Say

• 不要混淆'勺'和'匙' (Both 勺 and 匙 can mean spoon, but 勺 is more common in northern China; 匙 is more common in the south)

Origin & History

Pictograph of a spoon or ladle shape. One of the oldest Chinese characters related to utensils.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal