Meaning
菜 means vegetable, greens, or edible plant. In culinary contexts it can also mean a dish or side dish served alongside rice — a sense that comes through in Chinese-derived compounds like 惣菜 (sōzai, ready-made deli foods). Raw ingredient or cooked food: 菜 covers both, which is why it shows up across everything from grocery labels to hot pot recipes.
Structurally, 菜 is a compound ideograph built from two parts. The upper portion is the radical 艹 (grass/plant crown), a familiar marker of plant-related kanji — you see it in 花 (flower) and 葉 (leaf) as well. The lower portion is 采, depicting a hand reaching down to pick something from a plant. Put together: a hand pulling edible greens from growing plants. That harvesting image is the kanji's core meaning.
菜 is written with 11 strokes and belongs to the Grade 4 kanji in the Japanese elementary school curriculum — children learn it around age 9–10. It falls under the 艹 (grass) radical group. At JLPT N4, you're expected to recognize it in common food vocabulary and use it in basic sentences about diet and cooking.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is サイ (sai), drawn from Middle Chinese. It appears in compound words (熟語, jukugo) and dominates written Japanese, particularly in food, cooking, and gardening contexts.
- 野菜 (yasai) — vegetables; the most common and essential compound built from this kanji
- 菜食 (saishoku) — vegetarian diet, eating greens
- 菜園 (saien) — vegetable garden, kitchen garden
- 菜箸 (saibashi) — cooking chopsticks (long chopsticks used when preparing vegetables)
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi is な (na), the native Japanese word for leafy greens. In modern Japanese it rarely stands alone; it appears in compounds and — notably — in feminine given names such as 菜々子 (Nanako) and 菜摘 (Natsumi), where it carries a fresh, natural quality.
- 白菜 (hakusai) — napa cabbage, Chinese cabbage (literally "white greens")
- 菜の花 (na no hana) — rapeseed blossom, canola flower (a beloved symbol of spring in Japan)
Common Words & Compounds
Everyday Vegetables & Food
- 野菜 (yasai) — vegetables (the most common, essential word)
- 白菜 (hakusai) — napa cabbage, a staple in Japanese hot pot dishes
- 小松菜 (komatsuna) — Japanese mustard spinach, a very common leafy green vegetable
- 春菜 (haruna) — spring greens, young vegetables harvested in early spring
- 山菜 (sansai) — wild mountain vegetables (such as fiddlehead ferns and bamboo shoots); a popular foraged food in Japan
Diet & Cooking
- 菜食 (saishoku) — vegetarian diet; eating mainly plant foods
- 菜食主義 (saishoku shugi) — vegetarianism as a philosophy or lifestyle
- 菜箸 (saibashi) — long cooking chopsticks used when stir-frying or preparing hot dishes
- 惣菜 (sōzai) — prepared side dishes, ready-made deli foods sold at supermarkets
Nature & Gardens
- 菜の花 (na no hana) — bright yellow rapeseed/canola flowers; a classic symbol of Japanese spring landscapes
- 菜園 (saien) — vegetable garden, kitchen garden
- 菜畑 (nabatake) — vegetable field, a field where greens are grown
Names & Cultural Terms
- 菜々子 (Nanako) — a popular Japanese feminine given name using this kanji
- 菜摘 (Natsumi) — another common feminine name meaning "picking/gathering greens"
Example Sentences
スーパーで新鮮な野菜を買いました。
Sūpā de shinsen na yasai wo kaimashita.
I bought fresh vegetables at the supermarket.
白菜は鍋料理によく使われます。
Hakusai wa nabe ryōri ni yoku tsukawaremasu.
Napa cabbage is often used in hot pot dishes.
春になると、菜の花が一面に咲きます。
Haru ni naru to, na no hana ga ichimen ni sakimasu.
When spring comes, rapeseed blossoms bloom everywhere.
彼女は菜食主義なので、肉を食べません。
Kanojo wa saishoku shugi na node, niku wo tabemasen.
She is a vegetarian, so she does not eat meat.
山菜を採りに山へ行きました。
Sansai wo tori ni yama e ikimashita.
I went to the mountains to gather wild vegetables.
惣菜コーナーで小松菜のおひたしを買いました。
Sōzai kōnā de komatsuna no ohitashi wo kaimashita.
I bought boiled komatsuna greens from the prepared foods section.
家の庭に小さな菜園を作りました。
Ie no niwa ni chiisana saien wo tsukurimashita.
I made a small vegetable garden in the yard of my house.
お弁当には野菜が足りないと思います。
Obentō ni wa yasai ga tarinai to omoimasu.
I think the lunchbox doesn't have enough vegetables.
菜箸を使って野菜を炒めました。
Saibashi wo tsukatte yasai wo itamemashita.
I stir-fried the vegetables using cooking chopsticks.
毎日緑の野菜を食べると、体にいいです。
Mainichi midori no yasai wo taberu to, karada ni ii desu.
Eating green vegetables every day is good for your body.
Related Kanji
- 田 — Rice Field (Kanji N4)
- 飯 — Meal, Cooked Rice, Food (Kanji N4)
- 地 — Ground, Earth, Land (Kanji N4)
- 春 — Spring (Kanji N4)
- 暑 — Hot (Weather), Heat (Kanji N4)
- 物 — Thing, Object, Matter (Kanji N4)
Memory Tip
菜 splits into two clear parts: the 艹 grass radical on top, marking it as plant-related, and 采 below, showing a hand reaching down to pluck a leaf. The whole character captures that moment of harvest — picking fresh greens straight from the plant. For the reading な (na), think of the word natural: greens in their raw, growing state.