Vegetables in Chinese 蔬菜
shūcài
Vegetables in Chinese is 蔬菜 (shū cài).
Also searched for as: veggies, vegetable names, cabbage, potato.
Ingredients: greens. 15 essential vegetables words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Vegetables, 蔬菜 (shū cài), are central to Chinese home cooking and are usually stir-fried quickly rather than boiled. In everyday speech people often just say 青菜 (qīng cài), 'greens', and 西红柿炒鸡蛋 (xī hóng shì chǎo jī dàn), tomato and egg stir-fry, is one of the most common home-style dishes. Words like 土豆 (tǔ dòu) and 白菜 (bái cài) come up every day at markets and in kitchens.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 蔬菜 | shū cài | vegetables |
| 白菜 | bái cài | Chinese cabbage |
| 土豆 | tǔ dòu | potato |
| 西红柿 | xī hóng shì | tomato |
| 黄瓜 | huáng guā | cucumber |
| 胡萝卜 | hú luó bo | carrot |
| 洋葱 | yáng cōng | onion |
| 大蒜 | dà suàn | garlic |
| 辣椒 | là jiāo | chilli |
| 茄子 | qié zi | aubergine |
| 蘑菇 | mó gu | mushroom |
| 豆腐 | dòu fu | tofu |
| 玉米 | yù mǐ | sweetcorn |
| 青菜 | qīng cài | green vegetables |
| 生菜 | shēng cài | lettuce |
Usage tips
- Some vegetables have regional names: tomato is 西红柿 (xī hóng shì) in the north and often 番茄 (fān qié) in the south and Taiwan, and in Taiwan 土豆 (tǔ dòu) can mean peanut, with potato usually 马铃薯 (mǎ líng shǔ).
- To order a simple vegetable dish, ask for 炒个青菜 (chǎo gè qīng cài); 蒜蓉 (suàn róng), 'with garlic', is one of the most popular styles.
- British names to know: aubergine is 茄子 (qié zi), courgette is 西葫芦 (xī hú lu) and chilli is 辣椒 (là jiāo). People also say 茄子 instead of 'cheese' when posing for photos.
Common mistakes
- Using 白菜 (bái cài) for every kind of cabbage: it's Chinese leaf, while round Western cabbage is 圆白菜 (yuán bái cài) or 卷心菜 (juǎn xīn cài).
- Thinking 菜 (cài) always means vegetables: it also means a dish of any kind, so 买菜 (mǎi cài) is food shopping and 点菜 (diǎn cài) is ordering at a restaurant.
Mini dialogue
- A晚饭吃什么？Wǎn fàn chī shén me?What are we having for dinner?
- B冰箱里有西红柿和鸡蛋，做个西红柿炒鸡蛋吧。Bīng xiāng lǐ yǒu xī hóng shì hé jī dàn, zuò gè xī hóng shì chǎo jī dàn ba.There are tomatoes and eggs in the fridge. Let's make tomato and egg stir-fry.
- A好，再炒个青菜。Hǎo, zài chǎo gè qīng cài.OK, and let's stir-fry some greens too.
- B行，多放点儿大蒜！Xíng, duō fàng diǎnr dà suàn!Sure, with lots of garlic!
Example sentences
- 多吃蔬菜对身体好。Eating lots of vegetables is good for you.
- 冬天的白菜很便宜。Chinese cabbage is cheap in winter.
- 我想做一个土豆汤。I want to make potato soup.
- 西红柿炒鸡蛋是家常菜。Tomato and egg stir-fry is a home-style dish.
- 夏天吃凉拌黄瓜很舒服。Cucumber salad is refreshing in summer.
- 兔子喜欢吃胡萝卜。Rabbits like eating carrots.
- 切洋葱的时候我会流眼泪。I cry when I chop onions.
- 这个菜里放了很多大蒜。There's a lot of garlic in this dish.
- 我不吃辣椒。I don't eat chillies.
- 妈妈做的茄子很好吃。Mum's aubergine is delicious.
- 雨后山上长出了很多蘑菇。Lots of mushrooms grew on the hill after the rain.
- 豆腐又便宜又有营养。Tofu is cheap and nutritious.
- 我在路边买了一根玉米。I bought a corn on the cob at the roadside.
- 晚饭再炒个青菜吧。Let's stir-fry some greens for dinner too.
- 汉堡里有生菜和西红柿。There's lettuce and tomato in the burger.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Vegetables speaking island has 8 everyday questions about vegetables to prepare your own answers to.