生菜
shēngcài
Lettuce in Chinese is 生菜 (shēngcài). Wiktionary also lists 萵苣 / 莴苣 (wōjù).
Meaning: the leaves of the lettuce plant, eaten as a vegetable or dish (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 生菜 | shēngcài |
| 萵苣 / 莴苣 | wōjù |
生菜 refers to the leaves of the lettuce plant used as a vegetable or dish. This term is used for both the vegetable itself and the specific leafy greens used in salads or as a garnish.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 生菜 is composed of 生 (raw/living) and 菜 (vegetable/dish).
Which one should you use?
生菜 is the common term used in daily life and grocery stores, whereas 萵苣 or 莴苣 is a more formal or botanical term for lettuce.
How do you pronounce it?
shēngcài
Did you know?
- In Cantonese culture, the word 生菜 is a popular homophone for 'generating wealth' or 'growing fortune'.
- When ordering 'lettuce' in a traditional Chinese setting, it is often treated as a 'cooling' food in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) philosophy.
- The formal term 萵苣 uses a character 萵 that is rarely used in any other common Chinese word besides lettuce.
Examples in context
- 她把生菜切絲。She shredded the lettuce.This sentence shows how to describe shredding the lettuce using 生菜.Tatoeba #13539356 by LeviHighway, translation #12925158 by Amghar
- 湯姆沒有洗生菜。Tom didn't wash the lettuce.This sentence demonstrates the action of washing the lettuce using 生菜.Tatoeba #13539364 by LeviHighway, translation #9271695 by CK
- 我只想要一些生菜。I just want some lettuce.This sentence is a way to express wanting some lettuce using 生菜.Tatoeba #13539357 by LeviHighway, translation #11873506 by CK
- 请给我一份生菜沙拉。Please give me a portion of lettuce salad.
- 我们今晚做的凉拌莴苣很美味！The cold tossed lettuce we made tonight is delicious!
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a grocery store, Xiaowen and Zhiqiang are shopping.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，你看這些生菜好嗎？Zhìqiáng, nǐ kàn zhèxiē shēngcài hǎo ma?Zhiqiang, look, is this lettuce good?
- 志强 Zhiqiang看起來很綠，很新鮮。Kàn qǐlái hěn lǜ, hěn xīnxiān.It looks very green and fresh.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那我們買兩顆生菜吧。Nà wǒmen mǎi liǎng kē shēngcài ba.Then let's buy two heads of lettuce.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好，我來拿。Hǎo, wǒ lái ná.Okay, I'll grab them.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lettuce” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
