sai1茜
Definition
Madder; a perennial climbing plant with a yellow-red root used as a red dye and for medicine.
How it's used
While 茜 is technically a plant name, it is almost exclusively encountered in the context of traditional Chinese medicine or historical dyeing techniques. In modern daily life, it is rarely used as a standalone noun outside of academic or botanical discussions. It is important to note that the pronunciation of this character can vary significantly depending on the region and context, often being read as sin1 in Cantonese when referring to the plant.
Measure word
zung3種jungExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this character with 芫荽, which is commonly referred to as 芫茜 in Cantonese. While both contain the character 茜, they refer to entirely different plants, with 芫茜 being the everyday herb cilantro.
Grammar color guide
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
