rice paper

[ rahys pey-per ]

noun

1. a Chinese or Japanese paper made from the pith of the rice-paper tree or certain other plants, cut and pressed into thin sheets:

   a watercolor painting on rice paper.

2. a thin paper made from the straw of the rice plant, as in China.
3. (in Southeast Asian cuisine) an almost translucent sheet made from a dough of rice flour and water, used for wrapping spring rolls and other foods.

rice paper

noun

1. a thin semitransparent edible paper made from the straw of rice, on which macaroons and similar cakes are baked
2. a thin delicate Chinese paper made from an araliaceous plant, Tetrapanax papyriferum ( rice-paper plant ) of Taiwan, the pith of which is pared and flattened into sheets

Word History and Origins

Origin of rice paper¹

First recorded in 1810–15

Example Sentences

Why rice paper and wonton wrappers should be staples in your pantryThis makes me think about when I first shipped out to college and my parents sent along frozen buns and dumplings so I could easily reach for a taste of home.

From Washington Post

And the Constitution, written on goatskin not rice paper, might be as our country was under Jefferson.

From The Daily Beast

Two of the four walls of the guest-room were of shoji, a lattice covered with translucent rice-paper.

From Project Gutenberg

The first thing Tarling saw, when he turned on the light, was a strip of rice paper on which the ink was scarcely dry.

From Project Gutenberg

He heard the rustle of rice paper—Whong Lee wrapping up some Ginsing roots perhaps.

From Project Gutenberg

Next lay the construction paper on the Japanese rice paper and trace on it the stencil design.

From Project Gutenberg

Again, lay the construction paper on the rice paper and glue the two together.

From Project Gutenberg