saang1 coi3生菜

Jyutpingsaang1 coi3

Yalesāang choi

名詞Uncommon

Definition

Lettuce; a crisp vegetable with many varieties, eaten raw or cooked.

colloquialfood

How it's used

Beyond its literal meaning as a vegetable, the word is homophonous with the phrase for making a fortune, which is why it is a staple dish during the Lunar New Year. It is commonly served blanched with oyster sauce in local restaurants, a simple dish known as 蠔油生菜. When buying it at a market, you will often hear vendors refer to it by specific types like 唐生菜 or 西生菜 rather than just the generic term.

Measure word

po1樖pō

Examples

daa2打bin1邊lou4爐jat1一ding6定jiu3要giu3叫dip2碟saang1生coi3菜。

You must order a plate of lettuce when having hot pot.

nei5你zung1鍾m4唔zung1鍾ji3意sik6食saang1生coi3菜baau1包aa4呀？

Do you like eating lettuce wraps?

Common phrases

hou4蠔jau4油saang1生coi3菜

lettuce with oyster sauce

saang1生coi3菜baau1包

lettuce wrap

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with the Mandarin term 生菜 which can sometimes refer to raw vegetables in general, whereas in Cantonese it specifically refers to lettuce.