餃
gyoza
Readings
On'yomi
- ギョウ
- キョウ
- コウ
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
餃 centers on a specific food: gyoza, the pan-fried dumpling. The meaning is narrow and concrete, with no abstract extensions.
Most common words using 餃
- 餃子ギョーザN1
gyoza; pot sticker; crescent-shaped pan-fried dumplings stuffed with minced pork and vegetables
- 手羽餃子てばギョーザ
chicken wings filled with gyoza stuffing
- 揚げ餃子あげギョーザ
deep-fried gyoza
- 水餃子すいギョーザ
boiled gyoza
- 焼き餃子やきギョーザ
pan-fried gyoza
- 羽根付き餃子はねつきギョーザ
hanetsuki gyoza; gyoza with wings
- 蒸し餃子むしギョーザ
steamed gyoza
- 餃子の皮ぎょうざのかわ
gyōza wrapper
- 餃子屋ギョーザや
dumpling shop; gyoza restaurant
Study
Etymology
餃 combines 飠 (food) with 交, which likely contributes the sound. The character was created specifically for the Chinese word for dumpling, and the modern form preserves that phono-semantic structure.
Meaning mnemonic
The food radical 飠 on the left tells you this is something to eat. The right side 交 looks like a crossed or folded shape, like a gyoza wrapper pinched together. Picture a steaming gyoza being folded: 餃.
Reading mnemonic
For ギョウ, imagine a giant gyoza so big it makes a loud 'gyow!' sound when you bite it: gyow -> ギョウ. The sound matches the dumpling's shape and the kanji's meaning.