菠菜
bōcài
The Chinese word for spinach is 菠菜 (bōcài).
菠菜 refers to the edible plant Spinacia oleracea.
Meaning: a particular edible plant, Spinacia oleracea (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, the term 菠菜 is used for spinach.
How do you pronounce it?
bōcài
Did you know?
- Because 菠菜 sounds so similar to 博彩, which means 'gambling', some people use the vegetable name as a playful way to avoid discussing actual betting in public.
- The word 菠菜 reveals the plant's historical journey, as it originates from the term 波斯菜, which literally means 'Persian vegetable'.
- In some Chinese culinary contexts, 菠菜 is paired with tofu in a classic combination that balances the vegetable's natural oxalic acid.
Examples in context
- 你喜歡菠菜嗎？Do you like spinach?This sentence is useful for asking about a preference for 菠菜.Tatoeba #6937158 by xjjAstrus, translation #5034000 by Hybrid
- 她強迫他吃菠菜。She forced him to eat spinach.This sentence is useful for describing someone being forced to eat 菠菜.Tatoeba #6937159 by xjjAstrus, translation #887119 by CK
- 我吃了一些菠菜。I ate some spinach.This sentence is useful for stating that one ate some 菠菜.Tatoeba #13540058 by LeviHighway, translation #2184382 by Hybrid
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is grocery shopping at a local market.
- 佳怡 Jiayi浩然，你看這些菠菜很綠。Hàorán, nǐ kàn zhèxiē bōcài hěn lǜ.Haoran, look, this spinach is very green.
- 浩然 Haoran好，我們買一點菠菜吧。Hǎo, wǒmen mǎi yīdiǎn bōcài ba.Okay, let's buy some spinach.
- 佳怡 Jiayi我也想買一些西紅柿。Wǒ yě xiǎng mǎi yīxiē xīhóngshì.I also want to buy some tomatoes.
- 浩然 Haoran沒問題，佳怡，妳選吧。Méi wèntí, Jiāyí, nǐ xuǎn ba.No problem, Jiayi, you choose.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spinach” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 菠菜, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
