馒头 (mántou) · steamed bun (plain, without filling)

Measure Word

一个馒头 gè

Meanings

1 steamed bun (plain, without filling)

Made with

About the dish

A plain steamed bun of white wheat dough with no filling, soft and often slightly sweet. Eaten in place of rice with other dishes, especially in the north.

Usually contains wheat

Characters

馒

mán

steamed bun (bound, only in 馒头)

头

tou

head; suffix

Examples

HSK 3

北方人喜欢吃馒头。

Běifāng rén xǐhuan chī mántou.

Northerners like to eat steamed buns.

HSK 3

奶奶做的馒头特别好吃。

Nǎinai zuò de mántou tèbié hǎochī.

Grandma's steamed buns are especially delicious.

HSK 5

在北方人的记忆里，馒头是家的味道。

Zài běifāng rén de jìyì lǐ, mántou shì jiā de wèidao.

For northerners, steamed buns taste like home.

Tips

usage

馒头 is plain (no filling), while 包子 has filling. 馒头 is a staple food in northern China, equivalent to rice in the south. They're eaten with dishes, not as a standalone snack.