Definitions

(noun) grape
(noun) Portugal; Portuguese

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "葡" was integrated into Chinese specifically for the transliterated term "葡萄", which traces back to a Persian word for grape, marking its origin as a phonetic borrowing without standalone significance. Its structural composition places the grass radical "艹" above the phonetic element "匍", thereby categorizing it as a plant while approximating the original sound. For centuries, "葡" remained semantically bound within this compound, but its application gradually broadened to participate in other transliterated terms, most notably in "葡萄牙" for Portugal, where it functions as an abbreviated syllabic component. This transition from a purely phonetic marker to a morpheme with associative meaning in compounds underscores the character's adaptive integration into the lexical system.

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢吃萄。

Wǒ xǐhuān chī pútáo.

I like to eat grapes.

这些萄很新鲜。

Zhèxiē pútáo hěn xīnxiān.

These grapes are very fresh.

妈妈买了许多萄。

Māma mǎile xǔduō pútáo.

Mom bought many grapes.

萄牙在欧洲西部。

Pútáoyá zài Ōuzhōu xībù.

Portugal is in Western Europe.

萄可以酿酒。

Pútáo kěyǐ niàng jiǔ.

Grapes can be used to make wine.

我们学习萄牙语。

Wǒmen xuéxí Pútáoyáyǔ.

We are learning Portuguese.

萄牙的萄酒很有名。

Pútáoyá de pútáojiǔ hěn yǒumíng.

Portuguese wine is very famous.

他在萄牙品尝了当地萄。

Tā zài Pútáoyá pǐnchángle dāngdì pútáo.

He tasted local grapes in Portugal.