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

The collection unfolded across a series of rooms created using large walls with rice paper panels, like in Japanese interiors, embellished with watercolors or ink drawings of bamboo, dragons and the vegetation of the jungle. —Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2025

Dip a rice paper wrapper into the water for 15 seconds or until softened. —Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2025

Roll the rice paper to form a tight cylinder, folding in the sides about halfway. —Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2025

Banh trang tron Another popular street food, rice paper salad is an unassuming and addictive snack. —Christina Liao, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024

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