饼干
biscuit; cookie; cracker
bǐnggān
What does 饼干 mean?
饼干 (bǐnggān) is a noun covering the whole family of dry, baked snacks that English splits into 'biscuit,' 'cookie,' and 'cracker.' Chinese does not draw those distinctions with separate words: a plain saltine, a chocolate-chip cookie, and a British digestive are all 饼干, distinguished only by adjectives (甜饼干 'sweet cookies,' 咸饼干 'savory crackers'). This is the main thing English speakers must adjust to — there is no built-in sweet/savory or American/British split.
饼干 is a common everyday food word, neutral in register, used in shopping, snacking, and describing food. It is counted with 块 or 片 for pieces and 包 or 盒 for packaging. The character 饼 means a flat round cake and 干 means dry.
Character breakdown
flat round cake; pastry
dry
Memory hook: 饼 (flat cake) + 干 (dry): a dry flat cake — a biscuit or cookie.
Measure word for 饼干
Example sentences
小孩子很喜欢吃甜饼干。
Xiǎo háizi hěn xǐhuan chī tián bǐnggān.
Little kids love eating sweet cookies.
spoken
我买了一包饼干当早饭。
Wǒ mǎile yì bāo bǐnggān dāng zǎofàn.
I bought a pack of biscuits for breakfast.
spoken
这种饼干不太甜，很适合配茶。
Zhè zhǒng bǐnggān bú tài tián, hěn shìhé pèi chá.
This kind of biscuit isn't very sweet; it goes well with tea.
neutral
桌子上还有几块饼干，你吃吧。
Zhuōzi shàng hái yǒu jǐ kuài bǐnggān, nǐ chī ba.
There are still a few biscuits on the table; go ahead and eat them.
spoken
Common phrases with 饼干
Synonyms
Don't confuse 饼干 with
FAQ
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