noun HSK 3
orange (fruit)
Meaning
橙子 refers to the common orange fruit. The character 橙 means orange (the color and fruit), while 子 is a common noun suffix in Mandarin. This is the standard word for oranges in everyday conversation across Chinese-speaking regions.
Usage
This is the most common colloquial term for oranges in Mainland China. When shopping or ordering, people simply say 橙子. It refers specifically to sweet oranges (the kind you peel and eat), not tangerines or mandarins, which have different names like 橘子 or 桔子.
Examples
- 01我买了五个橙子。.I bought five oranges.
- 02这个橙子很甜。.This orange is very sweet.
Characters
Measure words
- 个一个橙子
- 斤两斤橙子
Common collocations
- 橙汁orange juice
- 橙色orange color
- 剥橙子to peel an orange
- 榨橙子to squeeze oranges
Origin
橙 is a phonosemantic compound with the wood radical 木, indicating it grows on trees. The 子 suffix is commonly attached to fruit names in Mandarin to create colloquial noun forms.