Definitions

fàn (noun) cooked rice; meal
fàn (noun) food

Etymology

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character for 'meal' or 'cooked rice' is built from a semantic component related to food and a phonetic element that indicates pronunciation, with its traditional form 飯 featuring the radical 食 to signify food or the act of eating alongside 反 as a sound indicator, forming a phono-semantic compound where meaning and sound are integrated. Originally denoting prepared grains, particularly rice, its application widened over centuries to encompass any regular meal, reflecting its fundamental role in sustenance. The simplified variant 饭 maintains this structural logic by preserving the phonetic component while condensing the semantic radical into 饣, a streamlined representation of 食.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

妈妈在做

Māmā zài zuò fàn.

Mom is cooking.

我们吃晚吧。

Wǒmen chī wǎnfàn ba.

Let's have dinner.

这碗真好吃。

Zhè wǎn fàn zhēn hǎochī.

This bowl of rice is really delicious.

我们每天在家吃晚

Wǒmen měi tiān zài jiā chī wǎnfàn.

We eat dinner at home every day.

他刚吃完就去工作了。

Tā gāng chī wán fàn jiù qù gōngzuò le.

He went to work right after finishing his meal.

我请你到馆吃午

Wǒ qǐng nǐ dào fànguǎn chī wǔfàn.

I invite you to have lunch at the restaurant.

今天的早有面包和鸡蛋。

Jīntiān de zǎofàn yǒu miànbāo hé jīdàn.

Today's breakfast includes bread and eggs.

如果不够,我们可以再煮一点。

Rúguǒ fàn bú gòu, wǒmen kěyǐ zài zhǔ yīdiǎn.

If the rice isn't enough, we can cook a little more.