Meaning of 酱油
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- soy sauce
How to use 酱油
酱油 is a common word in kitchens and restaurants, used for cooking and dipping. Chinese cooks often tell apart 生抽 (shēngchōu, light soy sauce) and 老抽 (lǎochōu, dark soy sauce). Example: 请给我一点酱油。(Qǐng gěi wǒ yīdiǎn jiàngyóu.) Please give me a little soy sauce.
酱 (jiàng) means a thick sauce or paste, as in 果酱 (guǒjiàng) jam, and 油 (yóu) means oil or any liquid like oil. Soy sauce is the thin, oily-looking liquid that comes from a fermented bean paste: sauce plus liquid gives you 酱油.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say jiāngyóu with a first tone. 酱 is fourth tone, jiàng. Also do not confuse 酱油 with 加油 (jiāyóu), which sounds a bit similar but means to refuel or to cheer someone on.
酱油 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.
酱 jiàng · thick paste of fermented soybean · 13 strokes
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- 13
油 yóu · oil · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 酱油.
| 加油 | jiāyóu | to add oil; to top up with gas; to refuel; to accelerate; to step on the gas |
| 石油 | shíyóu | oil; petroleum |
| 汽油 | qìyóu | gasoline |
| 加油站 | jiāyóuzhàn | gas station |
| 果酱 | guǒjiàng | jam |
| 油画 | yóuhuà | oil painting |
| 燃油 | rányóu | fuel oil |
| 香油 | xiāngyóu | sesame oil; perfumed oil |
| 奶油 | nǎiyóu | cream; butter |
| 黄油 | huángyóu | butter |
| 油漆 | yóuqī | oil paints; lacquer |
| 花生酱 | huāshēngjiàng | peanut butter |
Questions about 酱油
What does 酱油 mean?
酱油 (jiàngyóu) means "soy sauce" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 酱油?
酱油 is made of 2 characters: 酱 (13 strokes), 油 (8 strokes). That is 21 strokes in total.
Is 酱油 an HSK word?
Yes. 酱油 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 酱油 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 酱油 is written 醬油.
What does 打酱油 (dǎ jiàngyóu) mean in internet slang?
Literally it means to go buy soy sauce. Online it means 'none of my business, I am just passing by,' and people use it to show they are not involved in something.
How do I ask for soy sauce in a restaurant in China?
You can say 有酱油吗？(Yǒu jiàngyóu ma?) Do you have soy sauce? Many restaurants keep it on the table with vinegar, 醋 (cù), so you can also just point and say 酱油.