菜園
saien[sa̠iẽ̞ɴ]
The English phrase "vegetable garden" can be translated into Japanese as 菜園 (saien) or 野菜畑.
Meaning: vegetable garden (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 菜園 | saien | [sa̠iẽ̞ɴ] (narrow) |
| 野菜畑 | yasaibatake |
Both terms refer to areas where vegetables are grown, but they differ in the scale and purpose of the cultivation.
What does it mean word for word?
菜園 (saien) is composed of 菜 (vegetable/greens) and 園 (garden/park). 野菜畑 (yasaibatake) is composed of 野菜 (vegetables) and 畑 (field/farm plot).
Which one should you use?
菜園 often implies a smaller, more cultivated garden, such as a hobby garden or a kitchen garden. In contrast, 野菜畑 typically refers to a larger area of land, like a field or a plot used for farming.
How do you pronounce it?
saien
Did you know?
- The character 園 in 菜園 is also used in the word 幼稚園 (youchien) for 'kindergarten'. Both terms use the character to imply a protected and enclosed space designed for nurturing.
- The word 畑 (hatake) in 野菜畑 specifically describes an upland field, which distinguishes it from a 田 (ta) or flooded paddy field used for rice.
- The character 菜 (na) used in 菜園 originally referred specifically to rapeseed or canola, which were vital crops in ancient Japanese agriculture.
Examples in context
- 中庭に小さな菜園があります。I have a small vegetable garden on my patio.This sentence shows how to use 菜園 to describe a small garden on a patio.Tatoeba #126453 by small_snow, translation #277536 by CK
- 祖父は広い菜園を持っています。Sofu wa hiroi saien o motte imasu.My grandfather has a large vegetable garden.
- この菜園でトマトを育てています。Kono saien de tomato o sodatete imasu.I am growing tomatoes in this vegetable garden.
Example conversation
Yuta and Yui are looking at Yuta's family home.
- 結衣 Yui陽太さんの家には、素敵な菜園がありますね。Yota-san no ie ni wa, suteki na saien ga arimasu ne.Yuta, there is a lovely vegetable garden at your house, isn't there?
- 陽太 Yotaはい、母が大切にしている菜園です。Hai, haha ga taisetsu ni shite iru saien desu.Yes, it is a vegetable garden that my mother takes care of.
- 結衣 Yuiあそこで何を作っているんですか？Asoko de nani o tsukutte iru n desu ka?What are you growing over there?
- 陽太 Yota今はキュウリを育てています。Ima wa kyuri o sodatete imasu.I am growing cucumbers right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vegetable garden” translations and entries 菜園, 野菜畑, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
