How to Write 饺 (jiǎo) — Meaning “Jiao (related to dumplings)”

Picture a dumpling that has food (饣) inside and is folded in half like the letter 'X' – the right part 交 looks like two crossed lines, like the fold on a dumpling wrapper. The sound 'jiǎo' also reminds you of the word 'jiao' in 'jiaozi'.

Write the left radical 饣 first: left-falling stroke, horizontal, then a vertical lift. Then write 交: dot, left-falling, horizontal, left-falling, right-falling, and finally a longer right-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the right part too wide or confusing the order of the two diagonal strokes.

All three share the food radical 饣, but 饺 has 交 on the right, pronounced jiǎo, and always means dumplings. 饨 (tún) has 屯 on the right and refers to a different type of dumpling such as wontons. 饩 (xì) has 气 on the right and means ceremonial food or grain, and is very rare in modern use.

饺 is used mostly in the word 饺子 (jiaozi, dumplings), which are a classic Chinese dish. You also see it in 水饺 (boiled dumplings) and 蒸饺 (steamed dumplings). Culturally, dumplings are eaten during Chinese New Year to symbolize wealth and family reunion.

Common words containing 饺 include: 饺子 (jiǎo zi) — Dumplings; 水饺 (shuǐ jiǎo) — Boiled dumplings; 蒸饺 (zhēng jiǎo) — Steamed dumplings.