香草
xiāngcǎo
The Chinese word for vanilla is 香草 (xiāngcǎo).
When you are specifically describing the flavor of food or drinks, it is common to add the character 味 (flavor/taste) after it to form 香草味, meaning vanilla flavor.
Meaning: flavor (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
xiāngcǎo
Did you know?
- In ancient Chinese poetry, 香草 was often used as a metaphor for a person of high moral character or a virtuous official, long before the vanilla bean was introduced from the Americas.
- Unlike in English, where 'vanilla' is often slang for something plain or boring, using 香草 to describe a person's personality would not convey this meaning and would likely be confusing.
- The term 香草 (xiāngcǎo) literally translates to 'fragrant grass', combining 'fragrant' and 'grass' to describe the plant.
Examples in context
- 她做了一个四人份的巧克力香草蛋糕。She made a vanilla chocolate cake for four people.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 香草 in the context of a cake.Tatoeba #958022 by U2FS, translation #4736894 by paper1n0
- 当且仅当冰淇淋是香草口味，小王会吃这个冰淇淋。If and only if the ice-cream is vanilla flavour will Xiao Wang eat it.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 香草 when referring to a flavor.Tatoeba #1442347 by eastasiastudent, translation #1442349 by eastasiastudent
- 我喜欢用香草调味。I like to use vanilla as a flavoring.
- 这个冰淇淋是香子兰口味的。This ice cream is vanilla flavored.
- 我不喜欢香草口味的奶茶。Wǒ bù xǐhuān xiāngcǎo kǒuwèi de nǎichá.I don't like vanilla flavored milk tea.
Example conversation
Two friends are ordering desserts at a cafe.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你想喝什么奶昔？Nǐ xiǎng hē shénme nǎixī?What milkshake do you want?
- 伟 Wei我想尝试香草味的。Wǒ xiǎng chángshì xiāngcǎo wèi de.I want to try the vanilla one.
- 佳怡 Jiayi我也点一个香草的吧。Wǒ yě diǎn yīgè xiāngcǎo de ba.I'll order a vanilla one too.
- 伟 Wei太好了，我们口味一样。Tài hǎo le, wǒmen kǒuwèi yīyàng.Great, we have the same taste.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vanilla” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
