葡萄
grape
pútao
What does 葡萄 mean?
葡萄 (pútao) is the noun for 'grape,' the fruit. The word is one of China's oldest foreign loanwords, borrowed over 2,000 years ago via the Silk Road from a Central Asian language (likely Old Persian budāwa), and the two characters 葡 and 萄 don't carry independent meaning — they only exist to write this word and its compounds. Both characters use the grass/plant radical (艹) on top, hinting at 'plant.'
Two notes for learners: first, the second syllable is neutral tone (pútao, not pútáo), like 妈妈 or 朋友. Second, the measure word changes by quantity: one grape is 一颗 / 一粒 葡萄, a bunch is 一串 葡萄, by weight at a market is 一斤 葡萄. Wine made from grapes is 葡萄酒 (pútaojiǔ).
Character breakdown
(part of the loanword 葡萄; grass radical 艹 + 匍 phonetic)
(part of the loanword 葡萄; grass radical 艹 + 匋 phonetic)
Memory hook: Both characters wear the same grass-hat (艹) — picture two grape clusters hanging side by side on a vine.
Measure word for 葡萄
Example sentences
我很喜欢吃葡萄。
Wǒ hěn xǐhuan chī pútao.
I really like eating grapes.
spoken
妈妈买了一串葡萄。
Māma mǎi le yí chuàn pútao.
Mom bought a bunch of grapes.
neutral
这种葡萄是甜的。
Zhè zhǒng pútao shì tián de.
This kind of grape is sweet.
spoken
葡萄可以做酒。
Pútao kěyǐ zuò jiǔ.
Grapes can be made into wine.
neutral
他不爱吃葡萄，因为里面有籽。
Tā bú ài chī pútao, yīnwèi lǐmiàn yǒu zǐ.
He doesn't like eating grapes because they have seeds inside.
spoken
Common phrases with 葡萄
Don't confuse 葡萄 with
蒲 is a different character meaning 'cattail / rush plant' and appears in 蒲公英 (dandelion). Don't write 蒲萄 — the grape character is 葡, with 艹 + 匍.
葡萄牙 (with full tones on the last two syllables) is the country Portugal — Mandarin's old phonetic rendering. 葡萄 alone is the fruit. Don't trim 葡萄牙 down expecting it to mean grapes — it's a place name.