rice paper

noun

1

: a thin papery material made from the pith of a small Asian tree or shrub (Tetrapanax papyriferum) of the ginseng family

also : a thin paper made from various usually Asian plants (such as the paper mulberry)

2

: a paper-thin sheet of dough made from rice flour and tapioca that is usually used to wrap a filling (as of minced vegetables or ground meat)

Ground pork, carrots, onions and cellophane noodles are wrapped so that the green vegetables show through the translucent white rice paper.

—Donna Hilts

Examples of rice paper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Interior designer Tyka Pryde shares Amazon picks for recreating the look at home, including a rice paper floor lamp, now at its lowest price in 30 days. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Jan. 2026

Where the former leans creamy and gourmand, the latter trades richness for a sparkling quality, thanks to incense, pink pepper, and rice paper. —Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 14 Jan. 2026

The ceremony involves releasing rice paper lanterns—called khom loy—into the sky as an offering to the Buddha. —Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025

Sushi Matsu Omakase’s interiors were designed by Studio Takeda in the same spirit of Edo-era culinary culture with cherry-blossom pink walls, light wood and rice paper detailing. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from its resemblance to paper made from rice straw

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rice paper

• caper
• raper
• scraper
• shaper
• taper
• vapor
• newspaper
• notepaper
• sandpaper
• skyscraper
• wallpaper
• wastepaper

Kids Definition

rice paper

noun

: a thin papery material made from the spongy inner part of the stem of an Asian shrub or small tree related to the ginseng