苹果
apple
píngguǒ
What does 苹果 mean?
苹果 (píngguǒ) is the standard Chinese word for 'apple,' the fruit. The compound literally reads 'flat fruit,' though native speakers rarely think about that — it is just the everyday name. The measure word is 个 (gè) for a single apple, and 斤 (jīn, ~500g) when buying by weight at a market. 苹果 is also the Chinese brand name for Apple Inc.: 苹果手机 (Apple phone / iPhone), 苹果电脑 (Mac). Context makes the difference between the fruit and the company obvious. Register is fully neutral and the word works in conversation, writing, recipes, and labeling.
Character breakdown
apple (the 艹 grass radical marks plants; on its own 苹 only appears in this compound)
fruit; result
Memory hook: 果 means 'fruit' and shows up in many fruit words: 苹果 apple, 水果 fruit, 芒果 mango.
Measure word for 苹果
Example sentences
我喜欢吃苹果。
Wǒ xǐhuan chī píngguǒ.
I like to eat apples.
spoken
这个苹果很大。
Zhège píngguǒ hěn dà.
This apple is really big.
spoken
请给我一个红苹果。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yí ge hóng píngguǒ.
Please give me one red apple.
spoken
妈妈买了五个苹果。
Māma mǎi le wǔ ge píngguǒ.
Mom bought five apples.
neutral
Common phrases with 苹果
Hear it in real Fluentide episodes
苹果 appears in 4 podcast episodes at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Don't confuse 苹果 with
水果 is the category 'fruit' in general. 苹果 is one specific fruit. 'I like fruit' = 我喜欢水果; 'I like apples' = 我喜欢苹果.
葡萄 is 'grape' — another HSK fruit. The first syllables of 苹果 and 葡萄 both start with 'p,' so beginners sometimes mix them up. 苹果 is round and crunchy; 葡萄 grows in clusters.