菜 cài
“dish (type of food); vegetable; cuisine”
nounHSK 1 · 2021 list level 1Measure word 盘 · 道
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
菜 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 16: 菜 cài — Level 1; official annotation 1 (名). PDF page 80
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 菜
菜 means a dish of food, a prepared item you order or cook and eat as part of a meal. It is a countable noun, so you use measure words like 个 or 道 before it, and it often appears in patterns like 点菜 (order dishes) or 做菜 (cook dishes).
例句Example sentences
- 这个菜很好吃。zhè ge cài hěn hǎo chī.This dish is very tasty.
- 我们点了三个菜。wǒ men diǎn le sān gè cài.We ordered three dishes.
- 妈妈做的菜很好吃。mā ma zuò de cài hěn hǎo chī.The dishes Mom makes are delicious.