菜
菜 (cài) means “vegetable”. It is made of 艹 + 采 and has 11 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word.
Break 菜 into its parts
What 菜 is made of
- 艹 cǎo — grass
- 采 cǎi — to collect
- 爫 zhǎo — claws
- 木 mù — tree
- 十 — ten
- 八 bā — eight
Origin hint: 艹 gives the meaning, 采 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
妈妈做的菜很好吃。Māma zuò de cài hěn hǎochī.The dishes Mom makes are delicious.
你想吃什么菜？Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme cài?What dish would you like?
Also built with 艹
Quick facts
| Pinyin | cài |
|---|---|
| Meaning | vegetable; dish |
| Strokes | 11 |
| Radical | 艸 (grass, #140) |
| Pattern | Top–bottom |
| HSK | HSK 3.0 · Level 1 · HSK 2.0 · Level 1 |
Questions about 菜
What does 菜 mean?
菜 (cài) means “vegetable; dish”.
How many strokes does 菜 have?
菜 has 11 strokes.
What is the radical of 菜?
The radical of 菜 is 艸 (cǎo, “grass”), Kangxi radical number 140.
What parts make up 菜?
菜 is made of 艹 (grass) and 采 (to collect).
Which HSK level is 菜?
菜 is in HSK 3.0 · Level 1 and HSK 2.0 · Level 1.
Learn 菜 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 · Group 41: 10 words with quick checks and spaced repeats.