龙虾 (lóngxiā) · lobster, crayfish

Measure Word

一只龙虾 zhī

Meanings

1 lobster
2 crayfish

About the ingredient

水产 Fish and seafood

Large sea lobsters, mostly spiny lobsters, sold live from tanks. Steamed in the shell, or cooked Cantonese style with e-fu noodles, sometimes with cheese. Crayfish, 小龙虾, are often called 龙虾 too.

Contains shellfish

Characters

Examples

HSK 1

今晚我们吃龙虾！

Jīnwǎn wǒmen chī lóngxiā!

Tonight we're eating lobster!

HSK 5

波士顿龙虾很有名。

Bōshìdùn lóngxiā hěn yǒumíng.

Boston lobster is very famous.

Tips

memory

龙 (dragon) + 虾 (shrimp) - a dragon-sized shrimp, i.e. a lobster.

usage

In everyday speech, especially in eastern and central China, 龙虾 often means 小龙虾 (crayfish): the lobster festival held every summer in Xuyi, Jiangsu, is all about crayfish.