香菜
xiāngcài
Cilantro is translated into Chinese as 香菜 (xiāngcài). Wiktionary also lists 芫荽 (yánsui, yuánsuī) and 胡荽 (húsuī).
Meaning: leaves of the coriander plant (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 香菜 | xiāngcài |
| 芫荽 | yánsui, yuánsuī |
| 胡荽 | húsuī |
The term for the leaves of the coriander plant is expressed as 香菜. If you have a cilantro allergy or dislike, you can use the phrase 不要放香菜 (búyào fàng xiāngcài) to tell a server not to add it to your dish.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 香菜 literally means 'fragrant vegetable'. In many Chinese-speaking regions, the word for cilantro is a classifier-noun compound, where 香 (fragrant) acts as an adjective and 菜 (vegetable) is the noun.
Which one should you use?
香菜 is the common, everyday term used in spoken Chinese, whereas 芫荽 (yánsui, yuánsuī) is more formal or botanical.
How do you pronounce it?
xiāngcài
Did you know?
- The phonetic connection between the ancient name 芫荽 and the Persian word 'gišnīz' suggests that the plant traveled along ancient trade routes into China.
- In Chinese culture, the strong scent of 香菜 is so polarizing that it is often compared to soap, a trait linked to a specific genetic variation in taste receptors.
- The character 胡 in the ancient name 胡荽 was often used in historical Chinese to refer to things from 'barbarian' or foreign lands, hinting at the plant's non-native origins.
Examples in context
- 韓國人不喜歡吃香菜。Koreans don't like eating cilantro.This sentence uses 香菜 to describe a dietary preference.Tatoeba #6940200 by xjjAstrus, translation #6956745 by znc
- 我不喜歡吃香菜。Wǒ bù xǐhuān chī xiāngcài.I don't like eating cilantro.
- 這道菜裡面有很多香菜。Zhè dào cài lǐmiàn yǒu hěnduō xiāngcài.There is a lot of cilantro in this dish.
Example conversation
At a Chinese restaurant, Zhiqiang and Xiaowen are ordering food.
- 志强 Zhiqiang妳想在麵裡加香菜嗎？Nǐ xiǎng zài miàn lǐ jiā xiāngcài ma?Do you want to add cilantro to the noodles?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我想要加一點點香菜。Wǒ xiǎng yào jiā yīdiǎndiǎn xiāngcài.I want to add a little bit of cilantro.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好的，我會跟服務員說。Hǎo de, wǒ huì gēn fúwùyuán shuō.Okay, I will tell the waiter.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen謝謝你，志強。Xièxiè nǐ, Zhìqiáng.Thank you, Zhiqiang.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cilantro” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 胡荽, 芫荽, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
