gyoza
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of gyoza
First recorded in 1965–70; from Japanese gyoza, from Chinese dialect (Shandong) giǎoze ( Mandarin jiǎozi ), equivalent to giǎo “stuffed dumpling” + ze “little child” (used as a diminutive suffix)
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Explanation
A gyoza is a Japanese dumpling made of meat or vegetable filling inside a very thinly rolled piece of dough. Whether boiled or fried, gyoza are delicious. The Japanese gyōza is derived from the Mandarin jiǎozi (and the two words are commonly written with the same Chinese characters). The gyoza was first developed during World War II, when Japanese soldiers returned from China with recipes for the traditional Chinese New Year dumpling, jiaozi. The Japanese version is similar but with a more garlicky filling inside a thinner wrapper. Gyoza is usually served with a soy dipping sauce.
Vocabulary lists containing gyoza
Foods from Asia
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5th Grade World Cuisine, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They’re like 2.5 times bigger than a normal gyoza, like palm-sized, and I really like them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Side dishes such as gyoza and ramen offerings were mostly untouched, according to Uttz, adding that the 3.5% price lift is a blended figure of all the increases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
For beer noshes, there are Ooshiba Yakitori & Sushi and the Osaka Street Food counter; the latter makes gyoza, takoyaki and other Asian street bites, like Taiwanese fried chicken.
From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2024
And if you are a specialist maker of Japanese dumplings, like the brand Osaka Ohsho, then selling a packet of gyoza with some damaged is a big no-no.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2024
In Slurp, a history of ramen, cultural historian Barak Kushner traces how movements between China and Japan shaped the rise of ramen and gyoza.
From Salon ● May 30, 2023
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
