洋蔥 / 洋葱
yángcōng
The English word 'onion' is translated into Chinese as 洋蔥 / 洋葱 (yángcōng). Wiktionary also lists 蔥頭 / 葱头 (cōngtóu) and 洋蔥頭 / 洋葱头 (yángcōngtóu).
Meaning: bulb (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 洋蔥 / 洋葱 | yángcōng | |
| 蔥頭 / 葱头 | cōngtóu | |
| 洋蔥頭 / 洋葱头 | yángcōngtóu | |
| 北蔥 / 北葱 | pak-chhang | Hokkien |
The term refers to the bulbous vegetable known as an onion.
What does it mean word for word?
In the term 洋蔥 / 洋葱, 洋 (yáng) means 'foreign' or 'ocean' and 蔥 (cōng) means 'onion' or 'scallion', making the word literally 'foreign onion'.
Which one should you use?
洋蔥 / 洋葱 (yángcōng) refers specifically to the bulbous onion, whereas 蔥 (cōng) is a generic term often used for scallions or spring onions. You may also use 洋蔥頭 / 洋葱头 (yángcōngtóu), where adding 頭 (tóu), meaning 'head', refers to the whole onion bulb. Additionally, 蔥頭 / 葱头 (cōngtóu) is a related form.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, the term 北蔥 / 北葱 (pak-chhang) is used for onion. In the Dungan language, the word for onion is цун (cun) or пиязы (piiazɨ).
How do you pronounce it?
yángcōng
Did you know?
- Because 蔥 (cōng) is a homophone for the word 聰 (cōng), which means 'intelligent', onions are sometimes used as visual puns in art and literature to wish for wisdom.
- The Dungan words цун (cun) and пиязы (piiazɨ) show a fascinating linguistic bridge, as they are Chinese and Turkic words spoken by a Chinese-speaking population using the Cyrillic alphabet.
- In Chinese culture, the word 洋 (yáng) in 洋蔥 (yángcōng) historically marked many Western imports, such as '洋娃娃' (yáng wáwá) for 'foreign doll' and '洋房' (yángfáng) for 'Western-style house'.
Examples in context
- 在这道菜里加一些葱会增加味道。Adding some onion to this dish will enhance the flavor.
- 昨天我买了一个洋葱做晚饭。Yesterday, I bought an onion to cook dinner.
- 我喜欢用红葱头来做色拉。I like to use red onions for making salads.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “onion” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
