稻

dào

禾 + 舀

Definitions

dào (noun) rice; paddy

Etymology phono-semantic

grain

Semantic: 禾 Phonetic: 舀

About

稻 is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the radical 禾 (grain) on the left, which marks it as an agricultural plant, and the phonetic component 舀 on the right. The character denotes the rice plant, or paddy, the growing crop in the field before it is harvested and milled into white rice. This combination of a generic grain classifier and a specific sound marker uniquely identifies this staple cereal, ensuring its distinct use in agricultural, economic, and culinary texts.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

农民在种水稻。

Nóngmín zài zhòng shuǐdào.

Farmers are planting rice.

稻谷已经成熟了。

Dàogǔ yǐjīng chéngshú le.

The rice grains have ripened.

稻田一片绿油油。

Dàotián yīpiàn lǜ yóuyóu.

The paddy field is a stretch of green.

稻米是主要粮食。

Dàomǐ shì zhǔyào liángshí.

Rice is a staple food.

稻秧长得很快。

Dàoyāng zhǎng de hěn kuài.

The rice seedlings grow quickly.

秋风吹过稻田。

Qiūfēng chuī guò dàotián.

The autumn wind blows across the paddy field.

稻穗沉甸甸地垂下。

Dàosuì chéndiāndiān de chuí xià.

The rice ears hang down heavily.

科学研究改良稻种。

Kēxué yánjiū gǎiliáng dàozhǒng.

Scientific research improves rice seeds.

Related Characters

Component: 禾

Component: 舀

稻