<p>「麪」is a variant type of「麵」（「麪」is a more standard form in the old ages, and both are simplified to「面」now）and the meaing between them is not quite different.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-21T11:44:10.427Z
2017-10-21T13:50:17.327Z
2017-10-21T13:50:17.327Z
pauke Huang
<p>麵 and 麪 both means <strong>flour</strong> while 面 means <strong>face</strong> or <strong>side</strong> in traditional Chinese. 面 pronounced <strong>miàn</strong> while 丏 pronounced <strong>miǎn</strong>, the ancients created the pictophonetic characters 麵 and 麪 with two different phonetic indicator with the same syllables. 麵 and 麪 are interchangable in traditional Chinese, but later 麵 was treated as the formal form while 麪 as the variant form. Both are simplified to 麺 not 面 (combined with a 麦, meas <strong>wheat</strong>, the simplified form of 麥, and a 面) in mainland China, but in simplified Chinese 面 covers the meaning of 麺, that means 面 is a super set of 麺 (麵 and 麪) in simplified Chinese. Though 麺 is right when used for <strong>flour</strong> but hardly anybody used it. This is a strange case in Simplified Chinese. There is another similar example, 餘 means <strong>rest</strong> or <strong>remaining</strong> while 余 means <strong>me</strong> (used in classic Chinese) in traditional Chinese. 餘 was simplified to 馀, but also 余 covers the meaning of 馀, that mean 余 is a super set of 馀 (餘) in simplified Chinese. The same as above, 馀 is also right when used for <strong>remaining</strong> but hardly anybody used it.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-15T01:58:09.740Z
麵 is simplified to 面 in mainland China ([简化字总表](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E7%AE%80%E5%8C%96%E5%AD%97%E6%80%BB%E8%A1%A8)). 麺 is used by Japanese (means noodle, not flour) not Simplified Chinese.
tsh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-15T02:16:22.873Z
I don't have one. But a Google search lead me here: http://xh.5156edu.com/html3/18572.html . Hopes it is correct. [麺](http://xh.5156edu.com/html3/18572.html) has no meaning, no words listed. To my understanding, it could only be used as person name. But [面](http://xh.5156edu.com/html3/21000.html) covers the meaning of flour or noodle. Also 简化字总表 did include 麵 simplified into 面. Could you find out any resource suggest 麺 is the simplified version of 麵 in mainland?
tsh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-15T03:01:25.333Z
The last right-falling stroke of 麦 in Japanese standard is longer than in simplified Chinese standard, the character 面 is on the last stroke in Japanese standard, while in simplified Chinese standard it is on the right side. Yes, 麺 and 馀 is hardly used in mainland China currently, but still exists in Chinese Xinhua Dictionary.
xenophōn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-15T03:03:27.443Z
But "麺 Exists ≠ 麺 Has relationship with 麵"
tsh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-15T03:20:01.647Z
Are you ever noticed that **麺, miàn, 同"麵"** (麺, miàn, the same as "麵") in the URL you mentioned? Even in Japanese, 麺 is same as 麵 in traditional Chinese.
xenophōn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-15T03:23:26.320Z
I am sorry, it seems that there is no such character in the new version of Xinhua Dictionary now (I don't have one so I am not sure), but it was existed in the dictionary I used in elementary school.
xenophōn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-15T10:36:48.263Z
It should be **Have you ever noticed that...**, sorry for my bad English.
xenophōn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-17T12:37:01.933Z
2019-06-17T12:45:54.590Z
2019-06-17T12:45:54.590Z
xenophōn
<p>I was reading a Chinese book when I came across the word 麪粉.</p>

<p>I didn't know how to read the first character,
so I performed a search on Google translate.
According to Google translate,
both 麵粉 miànfěn and 麪粉 miànfěn have the same pinyin,
and both mean flour.</p>

<p>My impression from living in Hong Kong
is that only the first word "麵" is encountered in everyday usage,
e.g., wonton noodles is written as 雲吞麵.</p>

<p>Are there any real differences between 麵粉 and 麪粉?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-20T23:54:10.507Z
That's so-called 异体字, that is, different spellings for the same character. Shouldn't be any difference in meaning.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-25T05:29:30.340Z
As dan noted, it is  异体字. Just like color and colour in English.
Administrator
<meaning><difference>
What is the difference between 麵粉 and 麪粉?
# What is the difference between 麵粉 and 麪粉?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-10-20)

I was reading a Chinese book when I came across the word 麪粉.

I didn't know how to read the first character,
so I performed a search on Google translate.
According to Google translate,
both 麵粉 miànfěn and 麪粉 miànfěn have the same pinyin,
and both mean flour.

My impression from living in Hong Kong
is that only the first word "麵" is encountered in everyday usage,
e.g., wonton noodles is written as 雲吞麵.

Are there any real differences between 麵粉 and 麪粉?

**Tags:** meaning, difference

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: That's so-called 异体字, that is, different spellings for the same character. Shouldn't be any difference in meaning.  
> **username_2**: As dan noted, it is  异体字. Just like color and colour in English.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-10-21. Score: 2

「麪」is a variant type of「麵」（「麪」is a more standard form in the old ages, and both are simplified to「面」now）and the meaing between them is not quite different.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2019-06-17. Score: 1

麵 and 麪 both means **flour** while 面 means **face** or **side** in traditional Chinese. 面 pronounced **miàn** while 丏 pronounced **miǎn**, the ancients created the pictophonetic characters 麵 and 麪 with two different phonetic indicator with the same syllables. 麵 and 麪 are interchangable in traditional Chinese, but later 麵 was treated as the formal form while 麪 as the variant form. Both are simplified to 麺 not 面 (combined with a 麦, meas **wheat**, the simplified form of 麥, and a 面) in mainland China, but in simplified Chinese 面 covers the meaning of 麺, that means 面 is a super set of 麺 (麵 and 麪) in simplified Chinese. Though 麺 is right when used for **flour** but hardly anybody used it. This is a strange case in Simplified Chinese. There is another similar example, 餘 means **rest** or **remaining** while 余 means **me** (used in classic Chinese) in traditional Chinese. 餘 was simplified to 馀, but also 余 covers the meaning of 馀, that mean 余 is a super set of 馀 (餘) in simplified Chinese. The same as above, 馀 is also right when used for **remaining** but hardly anybody used it.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: 麵 is simplified to 面 in mainland China ([简化字总表](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E7%AE%80%E5%8C%96%E5%AD%97%E6%80%BB%E8%A1%A8)). 麺 is used by Japanese (means noodle, not flour) not Simplified Chinese.  
> **username_5**: I don't have one. But a Google search lead me here: http://xh.5156edu.com/html3/18572.html . Hopes it is correct. [麺](http://xh.5156edu.com/html3/18572.html) has no meaning, no words listed. To my understanding, it could only be used as person name. But [面](http://xh.5156edu.com/html3/21000.html) covers the meaning of flour or noodle. Also 简化字总表 did include 麵 simplified into 面. Could you find out any resource suggest 麺 is the simplified version of 麵 in mainland?  
> **username_4**: The last right-falling stroke of 麦 in Japanese standard is longer than in simplified Chinese standard, the character 面 is on the last stroke in Japanese standard, while in simplified Chinese standard it is on the right side. Yes, 麺 and 馀 is hardly used in mainland China currently, but still exists in Chinese Xinhua Dictionary.  
> **username_5**: But "麺 Exists ≠ 麺 Has relationship with 麵"  
> **username_4**: Are you ever noticed that **麺, miàn, 同"麵"** (麺, miàn, the same as "麵") in the URL you mentioned? Even in Japanese, 麺 is same as 麵 in traditional Chinese.  
> **username_4**: I am sorry, it seems that there is no such character in the new version of Xinhua Dictionary now (I don't have one so I am not sure), but it was existed in the dictionary I used in elementary school.  
> **username_4**: It should be **Have you ever noticed that...**, sorry for my bad English.  

---

