Vegetables and greens hold an important place in Chinese cuisine. They are nutritious, affordable, and delicious.

From crunchy bok choy to juicy tomato - this article will introduce you to popular greens and vegetables.

Chinese Names for Vegetables and Greens

01. Vegetables in Chinese

Let's start with the basics and learn how to say "vegetables" in Chinese:

蔬菜
shū cài
vegetables

The term for greens in Chinese is 青菜 (qīng cài), which refers to green vegetables in general:

青菜
qīng cài
green vegetables, greens

02. Vegetarian Diet in Chinese

The term for vegetarian diet in Chinese is "素食 (sù shí)", where the word "素 sù" means plain, simple, and "食 shí" means food.

This term is widely used in restaurants, menus, and among people who follow a vegetarian lifestyle in China.

素食
sù shí
vegetarian diet

Additionally, someone who is a vegetarian can be referred to as "素食者 (sù shí zhě)," where "者 (zhě)" means person or practitioner.

素食者
sù shí zhě
vegetarian

NOTE

If you're in a restaurant and would like to ask if they have a vegetarian menu, you can say:

請問，有素食菜單嗎？
Qǐng wèn, yǒu sù shí cài dān ma?
Excuse me, do you have a vegetarian menu?

03. Chinese Native Vegetables

China is home to a wide variety of native vegetables that are commonly used in its cuisine. Some of the most well-known include:

白菜
bái cài
Chinese cabbage

油菜
yóu cài
bok choy

茄子
qié zi
eggplant

芥藍
jiè lán
Chinese kale

蓮藕
lián ǒu
lotus root

04. Common Vegetables

Other well-known vegetables also play a crucial role in Chinese dishes. Here are a few examples:

黃瓜
huáng guā
cucumber

胡蘿卜
hú luó bo
carrot

西紅柿
xī hóng shì
tomato

花菜
huā cài
cauliflower

西蘭花
xī lán huā
broccoli

土豆
tǔ dòu
potato

洋蔥
yáng cōng
onion

青椒
qīng jiāo
green bell pepper

05. Measure Words for Vegetables

When going to a Chinese market, you'll find it helpful to know the measure words for vegetables:

個 (gè) - general measure word.

EXAMPLE

請給我三個西紅柿。
Qǐng gěi wǒ sān gè xī hóng shì.
Please give me three tomatoes.

根 (gēn) - for long, thin items.

EXAMPLE

我想買兩根胡蘿卜。
Wǒ xiǎng mǎi liǎng gēn hú luó bo.
I want to buy two carrots.

棵 (kē) - for plants that grow as a whole.

EXAMPLE

我要一棵白菜。
Wǒ yào yì kē bái cài.
I want one Chinese cabbage.

來源：That's Mandarin
編輯：萬月英