Meanings
plural jiaozis · alternative chiao-tze · alternative jiao zi
- A Chinese crescent-shaped dumpling filled with a minced stuffing and steamed, boiled or fried; the Chinese originator or predecessor of the Japanese gyoza.
Jiaozi are eaten all year long and at any time of day—breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
2010, Alan Hoenig, Eating Out in China: A Traveler's Resource, page 524 more examples
I took the Blakes over for a jiaozi dinner in the park—not my favorite place although the jiaozis were much better than the food we had before.
1975 May 26, George H[erbert] W[alker] Bush, “‘We Do Have Principles and It Is Time We Stood Up for Them’: April 16 to June 2, 1975”, in Jeffrey A. Engel, editor, The China Diary of George H. W. Bush: The Making of a Global President, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, published 2008, →ISBN, page 297It was especially good that night—with wonderful fish, steamed pike, fish dumplings (rather like hot gefilte fish), a whole braised duck, the crab-filled jiaozis I love so much, and more beer and wine than I’ve consumed in months.
1985 December 16, James Friend, “Monday, December 16”, in Beverly Friend, editor, China Journal: A World of Difference, Lincolnwood, Ill.: Friendly Books, published 2008, →ISBN, volume II (October 24–Dec 19, 1985), page 272Her favorite were dumplings. One Chinese New Year, her mom cooked us so many dumplings, I stopped eating them for almost a year. I craved those little jiaozis. Even one bite now, and I would have traded away my birthright.
2013, Peter Tieryas Liu, “Thou Shalt Not Live on Bread Alone”, in Bald New World, Alresford, Hants.: Perfect Edge Books, John Hunt Publishing Ltd., published 2014, →ISBN, page 88In comparison, jiaozi fillings are much more diverse than those used for wontons. They could be any kind of meat, as well as many varieties of vegetables to make vegetarian jiaozi. And jiaozi are usually larger than wontons.
2015, Rongguang Zhao, Gangliu Wang, Aimee Yiran Wang, A History of Food Culture in China, page 39Synonyms: Peking ravioli
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA Chinese crescent-shaped dumpling filled with a minced stuffing and steamed, boiled or fried; the Chinese originator or predecessor of the Japanese gyoza.
Origin
From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation for 餃子/饺子 (jiǎozi). Doublet of gyoza.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan jiaozi
- jiaoziChinese dumplings
Chinese Cantonese 餃子 /饺子, 餃 /饺
- 餃子 /饺子 (gaau² zi²)Chinese dumplings
- 餃 /饺 (gaau²)Chinese dumplings
Chinese Mandarin 餃子 /饺子, 餃兒 /饺儿
- 餃子 /饺子 (jiǎozi)Chinese dumplings
- 餃兒 /饺儿 (jiǎor)Chinese dumplings
- 餃餌 /饺饵 (jiǎo'ěr)Chinese dumplings
French jiaozi, gyoza
- jiaoziChinese dumplings
- gyozaChinese dumplings
German Jiaozi
- JiaoziChinese dumplings
Hungarian húsos/zöldséges táska/batyu
- húsos/zöldséges táska/batyuChinese dumplings
Indonesian kuotie, swikiau
- kuotieChinese dumplings
- swikiauChinese dumplings
Japanese 餃子, ギョーザ
- 餃子 (gyōza)Chinese dumplings
- ギョーザ (gyōza)Chinese dumplings
Korean 만두
- 만두 (mandu)Chinese dumplings
Polish jiaozi
- jiaoziChinese dumplings
Portuguese guioza
- guiozaChinese dumplings
Russian цзя́оцзы, гёдза
- цзя́оцзы (czjáoczy)Chinese dumplings
- гёдза (gjódza)Chinese dumplings
- пельме́ни (pelʹméni)Chinese dumplings
Thai เกี๊ยว, เกี๊ยวซ่า
- เกี๊ยว (gíao)Chinese dumplings
- เกี๊ยวซ่าChinese dumplings
Cite this entry
jiaozi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jiaozi
“jiaozi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jiaozi. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jiaozi,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jiaozi.
Source: jiaozi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.