Chinese word

蒜

Pronunciation

Pinyinsuàn

Meaning

  • noungarlic

Example

他喜欢在面条里放蒜。tā xǐ huān zài miàn tiáo lǐ fàng suàn

He likes adding garlic to noodles.

Illustration for 蒜 (garlic)

More examples

这道菜用了蒜蓉提味。zhè dào cài yòng le suàn róng tí wèi

This dish uses grated garlic to add flavor.

Core concept

A small underground bulb whose separate cloves add a sharp, savory flavor to cooked food.

Common phrases

  • 蒜末suàn mò

    minced garlic

  • 大蒜dà suàn

    garlic bulb

  • 蒜蓉suàn róng

    grated garlic

Similar words

大蒜dà suàn: The whole garlic bulb used in cooking.
蒜头suàn tóu: A spoken term for a whole garlic bulb.
蒜瓣suàn bàn: A single small section separated from a garlic bulb for cooking.

Definition in Chinese

一种球茎植物，其可食用的鳞茎通常分为数瓣，常用于烹饪和调味。yì zhǒng qiú jīng zhí wù qí kě shí yòng de lín jīng tōng cháng fēn wéi shù bàn cháng yòng yú pēng rèn hé tiáo wèi

Word origin

The character 蒜 (suàn, "garlic") combines 艹 (cǎo, "grass"), which signals a plant, with 祘 (suàn, "count"), which mainly indicates the sound.

Usage tips

  • In kitchen talk, this noun can name the ingredient before its preparation is specified, so surrounding words often show whether it is whole, sliced, or minced.

Related words

  • 大蒜dà suàngarlicnoun
  • 蒜苗suàn miáogarlic sproutsnoun
  • 蒜蓉suàn rónggrated garlicnoun

Word lists with this word