米饭 (mǐfàn) — cooked rice

米饭 (mǐfàn)

Cooked rice, the staple food of Chinese cuisine. 米 refers to uncooked rice grains, and 饭 means cooked food or a meal. Together they specifically mean steamed or boiled rice.

Meanings

1. [noun] Cooked rice, steamed rice. The prepared rice served as the main staple of a Chinese meal.

Example Sentences

我想吃米饭。 Wǒ xiǎng chī mǐfàn. I want to eat rice.

你吃米饭还是面条？ Nǐ chī mǐfàn háishì miàntiáo? Do you eat rice or noodles?

这里的米饭很好吃。 Zhèlǐ de mǐfàn hěn hǎochī. The rice here is very delicious.

一碗米饭多少钱？ Yī wǎn mǐfàn duōshao qián? How much is a bowl of rice?

Collocations

Memory Hook

米 (raw rice grains) + 饭 (cooked meal) = cooked rice. The distinction between 米 (raw) and 米饭 (cooked) is important in Chinese. Think of 饭 as the transformation step that turns raw grain into a proper meal.