winter melon

Chinese #

Cantonese #

冬瓜

Pronunciation ( Yale) #

dūng gwā

Wiktionary #

冬瓜, 冬, 瓜

Mandarin #

冬瓜

Pronunciation ( Mandarin) #

dōng guā

Wiktionary #

冬瓜, 冬, 瓜

Simplified #

冬瓜

Wiktionary #

冬瓜, 冬, 瓜

Description #

Winter melon, also known as wax gourd due to its waxy coating (which contributes to a long shelf life), is present in a variety of Chinese foods, from winter melon soup, candies, stir-frieds, and winter melon teas.

Characters #

冬 is winter, and 瓜 is melon (or gourd or squash), so 冬瓜 is winter melon.

References #

• Wikipedia