酵 meaning and stroke order
Yeast; to leaven
How to write 酵, stroke by stroke
14 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 酵
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- yeast; leaven
- fermentation
- Taiwan pr. [xiao4]
How 酵 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wine.
酉 gives the meaning and 孝 hints at the sound.
Radical: 酉 (wine), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 酵
The left side 酉 is a wine jar, the meaning part, and the right side 孝 (xiào) gives the sound. Picture a wine jar quietly bubbling as yeast works inside it.
酵 almost never appears alone. You will meet it in words like 发酵 (fājiào, to ferment) and 酵母 (jiàomǔ, yeast). Example: 面团需要发酵一个小时。(Miàntuán xūyào fājiào yí ge xiǎoshí.) The dough needs to rise for an hour.
Common mistake: Learners often read it as xiào because of the phonetic 孝. In mainland Mandarin it is jiào, though xiào is the standard Taiwan reading. Also do not confuse it with 酶 (méi, enzyme), which has the same 酉 side.
Common words with 酵
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 发酵 | fājiào | to ferment; (fig.) (of trends, emotions or repercussions etc) to bubble away; to simmer; t | HSK 7-9 |
酵 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 酵
How many strokes are in 酵?
酵 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 酵 mean?
酵 (jiào) means yeast; to leaven. A common word with it is 发酵 (fājiào), meaning "to ferment; (fig.) (of trends, emotions or repercussions etc) to bubble away; to simmer; t".
How do you pronounce 酵?
酵 is pronounced jiào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 酵?
The radical of 酵 is 酉, which carries the idea of "wine". Dictionaries list 酵 under this radical.
Is 酵 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 酵 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 发酵 be used for things other than food?
Yes. Figuratively it means a situation or feeling is slowly building, like 事件还在发酵 (shìjiàn hái zài fājiào), the incident is still simmering. It is common in news writing.
What is the difference between 酵母 and 发酵粉?
酵母 (jiàomǔ) is yeast, a living organism used for bread and alcohol. 发酵粉 (fājiàofěn) is baking powder, a chemical leavening agent.