洋薊 / 洋蓟
yángjì
The English word artichoke is 洋薊 / 洋蓟 (yángjì) in Mandarin. Wiktionary also lists 朝鮮薊 / 朝鲜蓟 (cháoxiǎnjì) and 洋百合 (yángbǎihé).
Meaning: vegetable (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 洋薊 / 洋蓟 | yángjì |
| 朝鮮薊 / 朝鲜蓟 | cháoxiǎnjì |
| 洋百合 | yángbǎihé |
| 法國百合 / 法国百合 | fǎguó bǎihé |
The term refers to the edible vegetable known as an artichoke. You may see it used in cooking contexts, such as in the phrase 烤洋蓟 for grilled artichoke.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 洋薊 (yángjì) is a literal combination where 洋 (yáng) means 'foreign' or 'ocean' and 薊 (jì) means 'thistle'.
Which one should you use?
朝鮮薊 / 朝鲜蓟 is a specific name for the vegetable that literally translates to 'Korean thistle'. Other variations include 洋百合 (yángbǎihé) and 法國百合 / 法国百合 (fǎguó bǎihé).
How do you pronounce it?
yángjì
Did you know?
- While the term 朝鮮薊 refers to the 'Korean thistle', the artichoke is not native to Korea or China and was introduced to East Asia from the Mediterranean.
- The character 洋 (yáng) in 洋薊 is used in Mandarin to label many Western imports, such as '洋葱' for onion and '洋芋' for potato, marking them as 'foreign' plants.
- The use of 百合 (bǎihé) in 洋百合 is surprising because it means 'lily', reflecting how the artichoke's bloom resembles a giant lily to Chinese observers.
Examples in context
- 今天晚饭我想吃洋蓟。I want to eat artichoke for dinner tonight.
- 这道菜里面有洋蓟，非常好吃。This dish contains artichoke, it is very delicious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “artichoke” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
