noun
Chinese rice; foreign rice
Historically used for rice imported from China or other foreign countries, often contrasted with domestic Japanese rice. Now somewhat dated; modern terms like 外国産米 or 輸入米 are more common.
戦前は南京米がよく食べられていた。
Before the war, Chinese rice was commonly eaten.
この店では南京米を安く
This store sells foreign rice cheaply.
Domestically produced Japanese rice; the opposite of 南京米.
Compound of 南京 (Nanjing, a city in China historically associated with trade) and 米 (rice). The term originally referred to rice from the Nanjing area but broadened to mean Chinese or foreign rice in general.