Jiaozi
/ˈdʒaʊˌdziː/noun
A Chinese dumpling, typically filled with meat or vegetables and wrapped in a thin wheat-flour dough.
Did you know?Jiaozi are traditionally eaten around Lunar New Year because their ingot-like shape became associated with wealth, while wrapping them together became a family ritual for inviting prosperity.
Etymological Timeline
Late Imperial Chinese
Chinese
餃子
“A filled dumpling; the exact origin of the term is uncertain, though 餃 is written with the food radical and a phonetic element.”
Ming–Qing period
Mandarin
jiǎozi
“The established Mandarin name for the folded, filled dumpling eaten throughout northern China.”
20th Century
Modern Mandarin
饺子
“Simplified-Chinese form of 餃子, retaining the same pronunciation and meaning.”
20th–21st Century
English
jiaozi
“An English loanword for the Chinese dumpling, especially in culinary writing and restaurant contexts.”
Explore more surprising origins