菜 (cài)

菜 is a broad word covering both dishes of food (cooked) and vegetables (raw produce). As a dish it means any course served at a meal. As a vegetable it is the general everyday term. For the specific category of vegetables, 蔬菜 is more precise.

Meanings

[noun] Dish; course; a prepared food item served at a meal.
[noun] Vegetable; greens; produce (general and colloquial).

Example Sentences

这道菜真好吃！ Zhè dào cài zhēn hǎo chī! This dish is really delicious!

妈妈每天去市场买菜。 Māma měitiān qù shìchǎng mǎi cài. Mom goes to the market to buy vegetables every day.

你会做哪些中国菜？ Nǐ huì zuò nǎ xiē zhōngguó cài? Which Chinese dishes can you cook?

桌上的菜都是我妈妈做的。 Zhuō shang de cài dōu shì wǒ māma zuò de. All the dishes on the table were made by my mom.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
做菜	to cook a dish
买菜	to buy vegetables / groceries
点菜	to order dishes (at a restaurant)
中国菜	Chinese cuisine
一道菜	one dish (measure word 道)

Memory Hook

菜 has 草 (grass/plant) at the top, showing its plant origin. Whether you are talking about a plate of stir-fried greens or an elaborate dinner course, 菜 is the food that starts from the garden.