糖

餹

táng

唐 + 米

HSK 2.0Level 4

HSK 3.0Level 3

Definitions

táng (noun) sugar; candy; sweets

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 米 represents the meaning and 唐 represents the sound.

Semantic: 米 Phonetic: 唐

About

糖 is a phono-semantic compound that combines the semantic component 米 ('rice') on the left with the phonetic component 唐 on the right. The rice radical points to the early history of sweetening in China, where sweeteners were first produced by processing grains like rice and malt rather than from sugarcane. The character broadly means sugar, sweets, and confections. Even after commercial sugar production shifted to sugarcane and sugar beets, the graph kept its grain-based radical, preserving a record of ancient sweetener technology, while the right side 唐 indicates the pronunciation.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢吃糖。

Wǒ xǐhuān chī táng.

I like to eat candy.

糖果很好吃。

Tángguǒ hěn hǎochī.

Candy is delicious.

妈妈买了糖果。

Māma mǎi le tángguǒ.

Mom bought candy.

他在咖啡里放糖。

Tā zài kāfēi lǐ fàng táng.

He puts sugar in coffee.

糖吃多了对牙齿不好。

Táng chī duōle duì yáchǐ bù hǎo.

Eating too much sugar is bad for teeth.

这个蛋糕的糖分太高了。

Zhège dàngāo de tángfèn tài gāo le.

The sugar content in this cake is too high.

糖尿病患者需要控制糖的摄入。

Tángniàobìng huànzhě xūyào kòngzhì táng de shèrù.

Diabetic patients need to control sugar intake.

制作这道菜需要适量的糖来调味。

Zhìzuò zhè dào cài xūyào shìliàng de táng lái tiáowèi.

Making this dish requires an appropriate amount of sugar for seasoning.

Related Characters

Component: 唐

Component: 米

糖