Definitions

dào (noun) rice; paddy

Etymology phono-semantic

grain

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

稻 is a phono-semantic compound, with the left radical 禾 (grain) indicating its semantic category as an agricultural plant. The right component 舀 provides the phonetic pronunciation. It specifically denotes the rice plant or paddy, referring to the growing crop before harvest and processing. This structure combines a general grain classifier with a sound marker to distinctly represent this essential cereal in agricultural, economic, and culinary contexts.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 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 Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

农民在种水

Nóngmín zài zhòng shuǐdào.

Farmers are planting rice.

谷已经成熟了。

Dàogǔ yǐjīng chéngshú le.

The rice grains have ripened.

田一片绿油油。

Dàotián yīpiàn lǜ yóuyóu.

The paddy field is a stretch of green.

米是主要粮食。

Dàomǐ shì zhǔyào liángshí.

Rice is a staple food.

秧长得很快。

Dàoyāng zhǎng de hěn kuài.

The rice seedlings grow quickly.

秋风吹过田。

Qiūfēng chuī guò dàotián.

The autumn wind blows across the paddy field.

穗沉甸甸地垂下。

Dàosuì chéndiāndiān de chuí xià.

The rice ears hang down heavily.

科学研究改良种。

Kēxué yánjiū gǎiliáng dàozhǒng.

Scientific research improves rice seeds.