柠檬草
níngméngcǎo
The English word "lemongrass" is translated into Mandarin as 柠檬草 (níngméngcǎo).
The term refers to the plant Cymbopogon citratus.
Meaning: Cymbopogon citratus (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 柠檬草 is a compound of 柠檬 (níngméng), meaning "lemon" and 草 (cǎo), meaning "grass".
How do you pronounce it?
níngméngcǎo
Did you know?
- The word 柠檬 (lemon) is itself a loanword from an early Western language, likely Portuguese or Spanish, rather than a native Chinese root.
- If you are searching for the plant in a market, you may encounter the term 香茅 (xiāngmáo) instead of 柠檬草.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, 柠檬草油 (lemongrass oil) is specifically prized for its 'warming' properties to treat rheumatism, a conceptual use of temperature not found in Western medicine.
Examples in context
- 请问，这道菜里有香茅吗?Excuse me, does this dish contain lemongrass?
- 是的，这道菜使用了香茅作为调味料。Yes, this dish uses lemongrass as a seasoning.
- 这杯柠檬草茶真的很香!This cup of lemongrass tea smells amazing!
- 是的，柠檬草的香气特别迷人。Yes, the fragrance of lemongrass is particularly enchanting.
- 这种汤里有柠檬草。zhè zhǒng tāng lǐ yǒu níng méng cǎo.There is lemongrass in this soup.
- 请给我一些新鲜的柠檬草。qǐng gěi wǒ yī xiē xīn xiān de níng méng cǎo.Please give me some fresh lemongrass.
- 柠檬草的味道很香。níng méng cǎo de wèi dào hěn xiāng.The smell of lemongrass is very fragrant.
Example conversation
A woman is shopping for ingredients at a market.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你想买什么香料？nǐ xiǎng mǎi shén me xiāng liào?What spices do you want to buy?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我想买些柠檬草。wǒ xiǎng mǎi xiē níng méng cǎo.I want to buy some lemongrass.
- 志强 Zhiqiang这里的柠檬草很新鲜。zhè lǐ de níng méng cǎo hěn xīn xiān.The lemongrass here is very fresh.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那太好了，我要这些。nà tài hǎo le, wǒ yào zhè xiē.That's great, I'll take these.
