also: なるい
noun
edible greens; leafy vegetables
Refers to leafy vegetables and edible greens as a category, often in contexts like cooking, nutrition, or agriculture.
菜類はビタミンが豊富です。
Leafy greens are rich in vitamins.
毎日の食事に菜類を取り入れましょう。
Let's include leafy vegetables in our daily meals.
野菜 is the general word for vegetables, including root vegetables and fruits used as vegetables. 菜類 specifically refers to leafy greens and edible herbaceous plants.
青菜 is a more casual, everyday term for green leafy vegetables. 菜類 is slightly more formal or technical, often used in written or nutritional contexts.
Compound of 菜 (na, 'edible greens') and 類 (rui, 'category, kind'). The reading さいるい uses the on'yomi of both characters, while なるい is a rare historical reading.