jan4 sam1人參人参
Jyutpingjan4 sam1
Yaleyàhn sām
Definition
Ginseng; the root of a plant resembling a human shape, commonly used as a Chinese medicinal herb.
neutralfoodhealth
How it's used
Refers specifically to the medicinal root used in traditional Chinese medicine and cooking. While often associated with health tonics, it is frequently discussed in the context of high-end gifts or expensive ingredients for soups. The term is distinct from general vegetables because of its perceived high value and specific medicinal properties.
Measure word
zi1枝jīExamples
This ginseng is very expensive, what did you buy it for?
My family often uses ginseng to boil soup.
Related words
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
