糕
gāo · cake / pastry💡 How to pronounce
g → like the 'g' in 'go'. āo → like 'ow' in 'now' but flatter.
📖 The Story
糕 means cake or pastry — any sweet, soft food made from rice flour. In Chinese culture, cake is more than food: it's a symbol of sweetness, celebration, and rising to new heights.
🎬 In Culture Today
During Chinese New Year, families eat nian gao (年糕) — a sweet rice cake. Why? Because 'nian gao' sounds like 'higher year' (年高) — it's a wish for growth, progress, and success.
📝 Example Sentences
过年的时候我们吃年糕。
We eat rice cakes during the New Year.
蛋糕很好吃。
Cake is delicious.