Meaning of 豆腐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- tofu
- bean curd
How to use 豆腐
豆腐 is an everyday food word used on menus, in markets, and at home. It appears in many dish names, such as 麻婆豆腐 (mápó dòufu, mapo tofu). Example: 我想吃豆腐。(Wǒ xiǎng chī dòufu.) I want to eat tofu.
豆腐 (dòufu) is built from 豆 (dòu, bean) and 腐 (fǔ, to rot or turn soft), the same 腐 you see in 腐烂 (fǔlàn, to rot). Think of beans that have been turned into something soft, and you have tofu.
Common mistake: In 豆腐, the second syllable is usually said in the neutral tone, dòufu, even though 腐 alone is fǔ in 腐败 (fǔbài) and 腐蚀 (fǔshí). Learners also confuse 腐 with 府 (fǔ, government office). 腐 has 肉 (meat) at the bottom, and 府 does not.
豆腐 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
豆 dòu · beans · 7 strokes
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腐 fǔ · to spoil · 14 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 豆腐.
| 土豆 | tǔdòu | potato; (Tw) peanut (CL:顆|颗[ke1]) |
| 豆制品 | dòuzhìpǐn | legume-based product; soybean product |
| 腐败 | fǔbài | corruption; to corrupt |
| 腐烂 | fǔlàn | to rot; to putrefy |
| 豆子 | dòuzi | bean; pea |
| 腐蚀 | fǔshí | corrosion; to corrode (degrade chemically) |
| 腐朽 | fǔxiǔ | rotten; decayed |
| 腐化 | fǔhuà | to rot; to decay |
| 豆浆 | dòujiāng | soy milk |
| 豌豆 | wāndòu | pea (Pisum sativum) |
| 土豆泥 | tǔdòuní | mashed potato |
| 大豆 | dàdòu | soybean |
Questions about 豆腐
What does 豆腐 mean?
豆腐 (dòufu) means "tofu; bean curd" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 豆腐?
豆腐 is made of 2 characters: 豆 (7 strokes), 腐 (14 strokes). That is 21 strokes in total.
Is 豆腐 an HSK word?
Yes. 豆腐 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 腐 in 豆腐 mean the tofu is rotten?
No. In 豆腐, 腐 describes the soft, curdled texture, not spoilage. Fermented tofu has its own name, 腐乳 (fǔrǔ).
What measure word is used with 豆腐?
A common choice is 块 (kuài), as in 一块豆腐 (yí kuài dòufu), a piece of tofu. For a package or a box, people may also use 盒 (hé).