核桃 (hétao) · walnut

Measure Word

一颗核桃 kē

Meanings

1 walnut

About the ingredient

坚果 Nuts and seeds

Sold in the shell, to crack with a nutcracker, or as shelled halves with a slightly bitter skin. They are eaten as a snack, stir-fried, cooked into congee and sweet walnut soup, and baked into pastries and mooncake fillings.

Contains tree nuts

Also called 核桃仁、胡桃

Used in 3 dishes

桃酥 táosū

腊八粥 làbāzhōu

艾窝窝 àiwōwo

Characters

Literally 'pit-peach' - a peach-like fruit with a hard pit/shell inside.

Examples

HSK 5

多吃核桃对大脑有好处。

Duō chī hétao duì dànǎo yǒu hǎochù.

Eating more walnuts is good for the brain.

HSK 7-9

他买了一袋核桃仁。

Tā mǎi le yí dài hétaorén.

He bought a bag of walnut kernels.

Tips

culture

In Chinese folk belief, walnuts are brain food because they look like brains - this is called 以形补形 (nourish by resemblance). Many Chinese people eat walnuts specifically for this reason, and walnut milk drinks are marketed as 'brain boosters.'