豆腐
doù fu · HSK 4
tofu
🍲 豆腐 = bean (豆) + curdled/rotten (腐)
豆 means bean and 腐 means fermented or curdled, so 豆腐 literally reads as bean-curd. The English word tofu is borrowed straight from the Mandarin reading dòufu.
dòu fu · HSK 4
tofu
🧈 豆 (bean) + 腐 (ferment/curdle) = curdled beans
豆 means bean and 腐 means rotten or fermented/curdled. Tofu is literally curdled bean — soy milk set into a soft block. English borrowed the word via Japanese tōfu, but the Mandarin reading is dòufu.