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March 24, 2026
饭(飯)fàn(fan4)
饭 (fàn) primarily refers to cooked rice, but it is also used more broadly to mean food or a meal in general. It is commonly used in everyday contexts, such as ordering food or discussing meals, and often appears in phrases related to dining and cuisine.
Strokes7Radical饣Frequency#1515DifficultyEasy
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, rice is a staple food and symbolizes sustenance and abundance, making 饭 an essential part of daily life and communal meals. The phrase '吃饭了吗?' (Have you eaten?) is a common greeting, reflecting the importance of meal-sharing.
Memory Tip
Imagine a steaming bowl of rice (饭) that looks like a fluffy cloud (the character's top part resembles a roof over rice). The character's pronunciation 'fàn' sounds like a friendly call to come and eat, making it easy to remember.
Meanings of 饭
fàn(fan4)
1food
2cuisine
Exercise 1 of 2
Listen & Choose the Meaning
Choose the correct answer:
About 饭
饭Simplified
飯Traditional
7Strokes
饣Radical
名词míngcínoun (n.)Part of Speech
#1515Frequency Rank
碗Measure Word
HSK 3.0L1ElementaryTOCFLL1YCTL1HSKKL1CEFRA1
Podcast: 饭
Podcast: 饭
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AI Study Notes for 饭
Quick Contrast
饭 (fàn) vs 菜 (cài) — choose 饭 when referring to rice or a meal as a whole, while 菜 specifically refers to dishes or vegetables served at a meal.
Usage Notes
A common mistake is to confuse 饭 with its more general meaning of food, as it specifically denotes cooked rice in certain contexts. It is used in both formal and informal situations, but be mindful of using it appropriately in combination with other food-related words.
HSK Study Tips
Although 饭 is not specifically listed in the HSK vocabulary, it is fundamental for beginners to learn common food-related terms. Students should focus on its usage in sentences and practice collocations such as 吃饭 (chī fàn) meaning 'to eat a meal.'
Common Mistakes
Learners often mistakenly use 饭 in place of 食物 (shíwù), which means food in a general sense. For example, saying '我想要饭' when referring to food in general can sound incorrect; it's better to specify the type of food.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 饭
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Phonosemantic compound. 饣 represents the meaning and 反 represents the sound.
1The meaning half饣 carries the sense.
2The sound half反 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
3The giveawayfood
4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 饭? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1
Character Formation Type
What type of character formation is 饭?
Decomposition of 饭
IDS Structure⿰饣反
饭Full Character
=
饣shi2
left
反fan3
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Identify the Components
Which of these is a component of 饭?
How to say food in Chinese
“food” in Chinese is饭fàn
饭 (fàn) primarily refers to cooked rice, but it is also used more broadly to mean food or a meal in general. It is commonly used in everyday contexts, such as ordering food or discussing meals, and often appears in phrases related to dining and cuisine.
When to use 饭
A common mistake is to confuse 饭 with its more general meaning of food, as it specifically denotes cooked rice in certain contexts. It is used in both formal and informal situations, but be mindful of using it appropriately in combination with other food-related words.
饭 or something close to it
饭 (fàn) vs 菜 (cài) — choose 饭 when referring to rice or a meal as a whole, while 菜 specifically refers to dishes or vegetables served at a meal.
What learners get wrong
Learners often mistakenly use 饭 in place of 食物 (shíwù), which means food in a general sense. For example, saying '我想要饭' when referring to food in general can sound incorrect; it's better to specify the type of food.
Write 饭
饭
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Practice writing 饭 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
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Grammar Patterns of 饭
饭 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). It carries 4 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
