Definition

1. Noun:
   • Glutinous rice; sticky rice: A type of rice with opaque, short, and round grains that become very sticky and chewy when cooked due to its high amylopectin starch content. It is a staple ingredient in many traditional Vietnamese dishes and desserts.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mẹ tôi mua gạo nếp để làm xôi. (My mother bought glutinous rice to make sticky rice.)
  • Gạo nếp là nguyên liệu chính để làm bánh chưng Tết. (Sticky rice is the main ingredient for making bánh chưng for Tet.)
  • Món chè này cần có gạo nếp. (This sweet soup needs glutinous rice.)

Advanced Usage

• "Gạo nếp than": A specific, highly prized variety of black/purple glutinous rice.

  • Gạo nếp than thường dùng để nấu xôi hoặc làm rượu nếp. (Black glutinous rice is often used to cook sticky rice or make fermented rice wine.)

• "Gạo nếp cái hoa vàng": A famous, fragrant variety of glutinous rice from Vietnam.

  • Gạo nếp cái hoa vàng có hương thơm đặc biệt. (Gạo nếp cái hoa vàng has a special fragrance.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nếp (n): A common shortened, colloquial form for "gạo nếp".

  • Nhà có còn nếp không? (Do we have any glutinous rice left at home?)

• Xôi (n): Steamed glutinous rice, a dish made from "gạo nếp".

• Cơm nếp (n): Cooked glutinous rice, often referring to it as a meal component.

Synonyms

• Sticky rice: The most common English equivalent.
• Glutinous rice: A more technical term (note: it contains no gluten; "glutinous" refers to its glue-like stickiness).
• Sweet rice: Another common English name, though not all dishes made with it are sweet.

Related Phrases

• Nếp sống (n): This is a compound word where "nếp" means "habit" or "way", not directly related to rice. It means "lifestyle" or "way of life".
  • nếp sống văn hóa (cultural lifestyle)

Related Idioms

• "Nếp nhà": Literally "the glutinous rice of the house", but idiomatically it refers to the traditions, rules, or characteristic ways of a family.

  • Giữ gìn nếp nhà (To preserve the family's traditions/ways.)

• "Nếp tẻ": An idiom using both "nếp" (glutinous rice) and "tẻ" (ordinary rice) to represent different aspects, often meaning "the general order of things" or "the usual routine".

  • Cuộc sống nếp tẻ (The mundane routine of life.)

noun

1. glutinous rice; sticky rice