薯条
shǔ tiáo · HSK 6
french fries
🍟 shǔ = potato + tiáo = strip — potato strips
薯 means potato or yam, 条 means strip or stick. Together they literally describe what fries are: potato cut into strips. The shǔ sound is close to English 'shoe' — fries are shaped like shoe-laces.
条 — 攵 (tap) + 木 (tree); originally 攸 + 木
Originally written with 攸 (a flowing stream) over 木 (tree), 条 depicted slender twigs or branches of a tree. The meaning extended from 'thin branch' to any long, narrow item, then to 'strip,' 'item,' or 'article' as a measure word. The modern simplified form keeps 攵 over 木.