菜 means “vegetable”

さい · sai

Also: side dish, greens

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

な

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

サイ

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 4 · 11 strokes

The story

Grass (艹) above a hand picking from a tree: 菜 is nature's harvest on your plate. 野菜 (yasai, vegetables) are the colorful heart of Japanese home cooking, always fresh, always seasonal.

Used in 野菜 (yasai, vegetables) and 白菜 (hakusai, Chinese cabbage)

Words with 菜

• 野菜 (やさい, yasai): vegetables

More from Food & Cooking

• 餅 rice cake
• 膳 meal tray
• 焼 grill
• 煮 boil
• 蒸 steam
• 炒 stir-fry
• 揚 deep-fry
• 切 cut
• 炊 cook rice
• 味 taste
• 鍋 pot
• 皿 plate

Learn 菜 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.