The nouns that mean chilli pepper have diverse word forms in Sinitic languages after the plant was introduced to China. Based on large-scale field data, this paper generalizes a morphological typology of such nouns and depicts the patterns of their geographical distribution. The distributional patterns can be accounted for by the cultivating history of chilli pepper, the paths of immigration, the local dietary preference, and the features of the plant on which people put the focus. The major findings include: 辣椒 làjiāo hot-pepper and 辣子 là·zi hot-nmlz show an east-west distribution, with the latter diachronically preceding the former; while word forms containing 番 fān ‘foreign’ are mainly found in Fujian and Zhejiang, where chilli was introduced to south China, 秦椒 qínjiāo Qin-pepper demonstrates the pathway of chilli in the north; Sichuan and Chongqing feature 海椒 hǎijiāo oceanic-pepper, which was taken there by immigrants from Hunan.