Japonica rice is short and thick, and Cantonese call it "fat rice". Cooked porridge is soft, and common northeast rice, pearl rice round rice and Jiangsu round rice all belong to japonica rice.

Indica rice is slender and the cooked rice is refreshing. Silk seedling rice, cat tooth rice and Thai fragrant rice all belong to this category.

There are many kinds of indica rice and northern japonica rice in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian.