bao

B3A1O1
/baʊ/

noun

Any of various types of steamed bread or bun used in Chinese cuisine

Similar
dim sum
OriginSwahili bao →
Less commonScrabble 5
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Meanings

bao1

nounbao (countable and uncountable, plural baos or bao)

plural baos · alternative bau · alternative bow · alternative pao · alternative pau

  1. countableuncountableAny of various types of steamed bread or bun used in Chinese cuisine
  2. countableuncountableA sandwich or stuffed bun made with this bread

bao2

nounbao (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA mancala board game played in East Africa.

BAO3

nounBAO (plural BAOs)

plural BAOs

  1. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of baryon acoustic oscillation.

Bao4

proper nounBao (plural Baos)

plural Baos

  1. A surname.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
dim sum
Also see
baozibaryon acoustic oscillationsangza

Origin

bao · noun

Borrowed from Mandarin 包 (bāo) or Cantonese 包 (baau1). Cognate of Vietnamese bánh bao.

Full word history & related roots →

bao · noun

  1. Swahilibao
  2. Swahilibao
  3. Englishbao

Borrowed from Swahili bao.

More words from Swahili

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian бао
  • бао (bao)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
Chinese Cantonese 包, 包子
  • 包 (baau¹)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
  • 包子 (baau¹ zi²)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
Chinese Mandarin 包子
  • 包子 (bāozi)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
Indonesian pau, bakpao
  • pauChinese steamed stuffed bun
  • bakpaoChinese steamed stuffed bun
Japanese 包子, パオズ
  • 包子 (paozu)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
  • パオズ (paozu)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
  • 焼包Chinese steamed stuffed bun
  • シャオパオChinese steamed stuffed bun
  • バインバオChinese steamed stuffed bun
  • 中華まん (chūkaman)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
Korean 바오쯔, 바인 바오
  • 바오쯔 (baojjeu)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
  • 바인 바오 (bain bao)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
Malay pau
  • pauChinese steamed stuffed bun
Polish baozi
  • baoziChinese steamed stuffed bun
Russian ба́оцзы
  • ба́оцзы (báoczy)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
Tagalog siopao
  • siopaoChinese steamed stuffed bun
Thai ซาลาเปา
  • ซาลาเปา (saa-laa-bpao)Chinese steamed stuffed bun
Vietnamese bánh bao
  • bánh baoChinese steamed stuffed bun

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

boaaboobaAOB
Cite this entry
APA

bao. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bao

MLA

“bao.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bao. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bao,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bao.

Source: bao on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.