西蘭花 / 西兰花
sai¹ laan⁴ fa¹
The Cantonese word for broccoli is 西蘭花 / 西兰花 (sai¹ laan⁴ fa¹). Wiktionary also lists 百加利 (baak³ gaa¹ lei⁶).
Meaning: plant Brassica oleracea var. italica (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 西蘭花 / 西兰花 | sai¹ laan⁴ fa¹ |
| 百加利 | baak³ gaa¹ lei⁶ |
The term refers to the plant Brassica oleracea var. Italica.
What does it mean word for word?
The characters in 西蘭花 literally mean 'Western orchid flower'.
Which one should you use?
西蘭花 is the standard term for broccoli, whereas 百加利 is a much rarer phonetic transliteration.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Guangzhou, people often refer to broccoli as 西蘭花.
How do you pronounce it?
sai¹ laan⁴ fa¹
Did you know?
- When ordering broccoli in a Cantonese dim sum restaurant, you might find it paired with shrimp in a dish called 西蘭花蝦仁, a classic combination where the green color is prized for visual balance.
- The use of 西 (West) as a prefix in 西蘭花 is common for many non-native foods and plants, marking them as imports from Europe or the Americas.
- In Cantonese, 花 (flower) is used for many cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, which is called 椰菜花. This reflects a cultural classification of these vegetables by their flower-like heads.
Examples in context
- 你有冇西蘭花？Do you have broccoli?
- 我好鐘意食西蘭花I really like eating broccoli
Sources
- Wiktionary, “broccoli” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
