noun
Uncommon
tofu
TOH-foo
Tofu (noun) means a soft food made by pressing curdled soy milk into blocks, high in protein. Example: “She stir-fried tofu with vegetables for dinner.”
noun
1
A soft food made by pressing curdled soy milk into blocks, high in protein.
"First, marinate the tofu. In a bowl, whisk the kecap manis, chilli sauce, and sesame oil together. Cut the tofu into strips about 1cm thick, mix gently (so it doesn't break) with the marinade and leave in the fridge for half an hour."
— Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi (2012)
"She stir-fried tofu with vegetables for dinner."
2
A blank box or placeholder symbol shown by a computer when a character isn't supported by the available font.
"The document was full of tofu where the special symbols should have been."
How to use tofu
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA soy-based protein food common in vegetarian and Asian cooking; also computing slang for the empty box shown for missing characters.
Common pairings
firm tofu
silken tofu
fried tofu
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Word forms
- Plural
- tofus
Fill the gap
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She stir-fried _____ with vegetables for dinner.
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese tōfu, itself from Middle Chinese for "curdled bean."
Synonyms
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bean curd
Frequently asked questions
What does “tofu” mean?
The word “tofu” means a soft food made by pressing curdled soy milk into blocks, high in protein. In plain terms, a soy-based protein food common in vegetarian and Asian cooking; also computing slang for the empty box shown for missing characters.
How do you pronounce “tofu”?
“Tofu” is pronounced TOH-foo (/ˈtoʊfu/ in IPA).
How do you use “tofu” in a sentence?
Here is “tofu” used in a sentence: “She stir-fried tofu with vegetables for dinner.”
What part of speech is “tofu”?
“Tofu” is a noun.
Where does the word “tofu” come from?
The word “tofu” comes from Middle Chinese. Borrowed from Japanese tōfu, itself from Middle Chinese for "curdled bean.".
Is “tofu” a common word?
“Tofu” is an uncommon word in modern English.
How many meanings does “tofu” have?
“Tofu” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a soft food made by pressing curdled soy milk into blocks, high in protein.
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