菜 cài
noun
: vegetables; course or dish in a Chinese meal; cuisine
菜 | な na
noun
: greens; vegetables
: rape (Brassica napus); rapeseed
お菜 | おさい osai OR おかず okazu
noun
: (kana only) accompaniment for rice dishes; side dish
: food for thought (esp. in the context of conversation, or material for assisting arousal during masturbation)
菜 | さい sai
noun
: side dish
菜單[单] cai4dan1: menu [菜單 | さいたん saitan: menu]
菜刀 cai4dao1: vegetable knife; kitchen knife; cleaver
菜圃 cai4pu3: vegetable field; vegetable bed
菜園[园] cai4yuan2: vegetable garden [さいえん saien]
菜地 cai4di4: vegetable field
菜瓜 cai4gua1: snake melon; loofah
菜心 cai4xin1: choy sum; Chinese flowering cabbage; stem of any Chinese cabbage
菠菜 bo1cai4: spinach
青菜 qing1cai4: green vegetables; Chinese cabbage
白菜 bai2cai4: Chinese cabbage [はくさい hakusai]
小白菜 xiao3 bai2 cai4: bok choy; Chinese cabbage; Brassica chinensis
蔬菜 shu1cai4: vegetable; produce [そさい sosai: greens; vegetables]
做菜 zuo4cai4: to cook; cooking
點[点]菜 dian3cai4: to order dishes (in a restaurant)
上菜 shang4cai4: to serve, also to put on plate
飯[饭]菜 fan4cai4: food
香菜 xiang1cai4: coriander; cilantro [シャンツァイ shanshai OR こうさい kousai]
韭菜 jiu3cai4: garlic chives; Chinese chives; Chinese leek
家常菜 jia1 chang2 cai4: home cooking
家鄉[乡]菜 jia1 xiang1 cai4: regional dish; local cuisine
豆芽菜 dou4 ya2 cai4: bean sprouts
Japanese expression
青菜に塩 | あおなにしお aona ni shio
: feeling sad or downhearted; down in the dumps
Chinese idiom
看菜吃飯 [看菜吃饭] kan1 cai4 chi1 fan4
: to eat depending on the dish (idiom); fig. to act according to actual circumstances; to live within one’s means
看菜吃飯，量體裁衣 [看菜吃饭，量体裁衣] kan1 cai4 chi1 fan4, liang2 ti3 cai2 yi1
: eat depending on the dish, cut cloth according to the body; to fit the appetite to the dishes and the dress to the figure; to act according to actual circumstances; to live within one’s means
蘿蔔白菜，各有所愛 [萝卜白菜，各有所爱] luo2 bo5 bai2 cai4 , ge4 you3 suo3 ai4
: one man’s meat is another man’s poison; to each his own
魚生火，肉生痰，青菜豆腐保平安 [鱼生火，肉生痰，青菜豆腐保平安]
yu2 sheng1 huo3 , rou4 sheng1 tan2 , qing1 cai4 dou4 fu5 bao3 ping2 an1
: fish brings heat, meat brings phlegm, vegetables and tofu keep you healthy
形声 Pictophonetic.
艹 (cao3: grass radical 140) suggests the meaning while
采 (cai3: collect; gather) provides the sound.
Look-alike:
茶 cha2: tea
Historical variant: 茶
[kun: ちゃ cha. on: ちゃ cha, さ sa]
Examples:
這個菜很美味！
zhe4ge cai4 hen3 mei3wei4!
This dish is really tasty!
你的新菜從哪裡來？
ni de xin1 cai4 cong1 na3li3 lai2?
Where did your new girl(friend) come from? (slang)
Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary
