a rice/a grain of rice [countable] (2025)

Hello,
As you know the word "rice" is uncountable.
How can we use it in a countable noun way? For example suppose that we are talking to a farmer about planting and agricultural issues.

I want to tell him that he should put two seeds of rice into the soil and then water it.

Can I say two seeds of rice? Or two rice?
If it's not idiomatic, then how can I use "two" with "rice" in such contexts?

Thank you.

I strongly suggest you quit this quest, as suggested in this concurrent post:

uncountables

Egmont said:

Please don't look for ways to say something in English that match the way one would say them in another language. You can waste a lot of time that way, with no useful result.

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This is what Parla taught me when she was here. Yes, "a grain of rice" is what I was going to add.

Added to previous thread.
Cagey, moderator

Hello, everyone.

I know rice (as a kind of food) is uncountable. But if I want to talk about the individual rice, can I say a rice? Or should I say a grain of rice?
For example, how do you describe this picture?

1. There are three rices on the table.
2. There are three grains of rice on the table.

Thank you.

Kenny Chang said:

Or should I say a grain of rice?

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Use a grain of rice. There are three grains of rice on the table.

Kenny Chang said:

But if I want to talk about the individual rice, can I say a rice?

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No. You can't say that. You have to say "a grain of rice".

When you have a substance (an uncountable noun) in English, you use of to make a countable noun:

1. a unit of <noun> (a grain of rice; a loaf of bread; a grain of sand; a sheet of paper)
2. a measure of <noun> (a kilo of rice; a liter of petrol)
3. a containerful of <noun> (a cup of tea; a plate of noodles; a bowl of soup; a can of beans)

It's like measure words for English.

In addition to DB's explanation:

You can make 'rice' countable by saying 'a rice', but this does not mean 'one grain of rice'. As with most uncountable substances, when we say 'a xx', we mean 'one type of xx'. For example, we can say "Basmati is a rice which is often used in Indian cuisine", referring to a specific type of rice.

Wordy McWordface said:

In addition to DB's explanation:

You can make 'rice' countable by saying 'a rice', but this does not mean 'one grain of rice'. As with most uncountable substances, when we say 'a xx', we mean 'one type of xx'. For example, we can say "Basmati is a rice which is often used in Indian cuisine", referring to a specific type of rice.

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Thank you for your further explanation.

dojibear said:

When you have a substance (an uncountable noun) in English, you use of to make a countable noun:

1. a unit of <noun> (a grain of rice; a loaf of bread; a grain of sand; a sheet of paper)
2. a measure of <noun> (a kilo of rice; a liter of petrol)
3. a containerful of <noun> (a cup of tea; a plate of noodles; a bowl of soup; a can of beans)

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“noodles” and “beans” are countable, so we can say “three noodles” and “three beans.”

“three noodles” works for me for three individual pieces of the same type of pasta. I think US English and UK English use the word “noodles” differently.

elroy said:

I think US English and UK English use the word “noodles” differently.

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That's right. In BrE, we only use "noodles" to refer to thin, Asian style noodles.

Italian pasta (spaghetti, rigatoni and so on) is not called "noodles" in BrE. I was surprised the first time I heard an AmE speaker referring to a plate of macaroni as "noodles".

Wordy McWordface said:

I was surprised the first time I heard an AmE speaker referring to a plate of macaroni as "noodles".

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I would be, too.

natkretep said:

I might say 'three strands of noodles' to make the meaning clear.

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To me, this would mean that you had taken one noodle and sliced it into strips. There's no "X of noodles" that's like "grain of rice" for me.

RM1(SS) said:

I would be, too.

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So does this seem odd to you? It's written by an American chef who's using 'noodles' as a synonym of 'pasta':

Another of the best noodles for mac and cheese is cavatappi, which could be thought of as an extreme form of elbow macaroni. It's a much bigger noodle, curved into a spiral — the Italian name translates literally as "corkscrew" — and it's thicker and chewier than macaroni. The added folds and length give it more places to hold cheese, and the noodles are often ridged as well for even more sauce-holding power.

https://www.ehow.com/list_6888060_types-commonly-used-macaroni-cheese.html

owlman5 said:

Use a grain of rice. There are three grains of rice on the table.

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But what about hairs,we treat hair as uncountable noun since no one has the necessity to count hair,but what if I encountered three hairs in my place while I'm dining in a restaurant?

LucyLucy said:

But what about hairs,we treat hair as uncountable noun since no one has the necessity to count hair,but what if I encountered three hairs in my place while I'm dining in a restaurant?

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But I am likely to put in a quantifier here and say 'three strands of hair'.