Definition
虾 (xiā) is a concrete noun meaning 'shrimp' or 'prawn' — it refers to the animal itself, not the general category of seafood. 海鲜 (hǎi xiān) is the broad term for 'seafood' as a food group or dish. Use 虾 when you mean the specific crustacean.
noun
shrimpprawn
Easily confused
- 吓xiàlook-aliketo scare, to frighten
- 下xiàsound-alike(verb) to go down, to get off
- 瞎xiāsound-alike(verb) to be blind (of eyes)
Examples
- 虾。Wǒ diǎn le yì pán xiā.I ordered a plate of shrimp.
- 虾。Māma zuò de xiā hěn hào chī.Mom's shrimp is delicious.
- 虾。Zhège chāoshì de xiā hěn piányi.The shrimp at this supermarket is very cheap.
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