lai4藜

Jyutpinglai4

Yalelàih

Definition

Name of weed plant (fat hen, goosefoot, pigweed etc)

neutralnaturefood

How it's used

Refers to a specific category of edible or wild weeds often found in rural areas. While technically a botanical term, it is rarely used in urban daily life unless discussing specific traditional vegetables or foraging. It is distinct from modern superfoods like quinoa, which is often phonetically borrowed as 藜麥.

Measure word

fo2棵fó

Examples

le1 zung3 lai4 saang1 dak1 hou2 faai3 aa4

呢種藜生得好快呀。

This kind of pigweed grows really fast.

nei5 zi1 m4 zi1 bin1 dou6 jau5 lai4 maai6

你知唔知邊度有藜賣？

Do you know where they sell goosefoot?

Common phrases

lai4 mak6

藜麥

quinoa

Common mistake

Learners often confuse this with the trendy health food 藜麥, which is a specific grain. Using 藜 on its own usually refers to the wild plant or weed rather than the grain found in salads.