白はく菜さい

は

く

さ

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

napa cabbage; Chinese cabbage

Refers specifically to the oblong, pale green cabbage common in East Asian cuisine. In English, 'napa cabbage' is the most precise term.

鍋なべ料りょう理りには白はく菜さいが欠かかせない。
Napa cabbage is essential for hot pot dishes.
白はく菜さいをざく切ぎりにして炒いためる。
Chop the napa cabbage into large pieces and stir-fry.

See all 9 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉を漬つけるto pickle (napa cabbage)
白はく菜さいを塩しおで漬つけてキムチを作つくった。
I salted and pickled napa cabbage to make kimchi.
〈物もの〉を炒いためるto stir-fry (napa cabbage)
白はく菜さいを豚ぶた肉にくと一いっ緒しょに炒いためた。
I stir-fried the napa cabbage together with pork.
〈物もの〉が旬しゅんになるfor (napa cabbage) to be in season
冬ふゆになると白はく菜さいが旬しゅんになる。
Napa cabbage comes into season in winter.

Kanji

白white
菜vegetable, side dish, greens

Don't confuse with

キャベツN1
白菜 is the oblong, pale green Chinese cabbage used in East Asian dishes like nabe, while キャベツ refers to the round, Western-style cabbage.
キムチ
キムチ is the finished spicy fermented dish, while 白菜 (Chinese cabbage) is the raw vegetable most often used to make it.

Counted with

個こN5
A whole head of 白菜 is commonly counted with 個, as in 白菜一個.
株しゅ
Literary counter for standing trees and plants; everyday speech uses 本 or 株 (かぶ).
株かぶN2
For rooted plants and clumps — garden plants, shrubs, seedlings.
玉たまN3
In everyday speech, especially at supermarkets, a whole head of 白菜 is often counted with 玉 rather than 個.

Written forms

白はく菜さいUsage89%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
ハクサイUsage9%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used in botanical or culinary contexts, or for emphasis.
はくさいUsage2%

Etymology

From Chinese 白菜 (báicài), literally 'white vegetable'. The Japanese reading is the on'yomi of the characters.