青 菜(あおな)

あおな

noun

leafy greens; green vegetables

food nature

1. leafy greens; green vegetables

A general term for green leafy vegetables used in cooking, such as spinach, komatsuna, bok choy, and similar greens.

青菜(あおな)を茹(ゆ)でる。

To boil leafy greens.

味噌汁(みそしる)に青菜(あおな)を入(い)れた。

I added leafy greens to the miso soup.

青菜(あおな)は栄養(えいよう)が豊富(ほうふ)なので、毎日(まいにち)の食事(しょくじ)に取(と)り入(い)れたい。

Leafy greens are nutritious, so I want to include them in my daily meals.

A collective term for green leafy vegetables, combining 青(あお) (green/blue) and 菜(な) (vegetable). In Japanese cooking, 青菜(あおな) encompasses vegetables like 小松菜(こまつな), ほうれん草(そう), 青梗菜(ちんげんさい), and similar greens.

Usage

Commonly used in recipes and cooking contexts. When a recipe calls for 青菜(あおな), the cook can choose whichever leafy green is available. The word also appears in the proverb 青菜(あおな)に塩(しお) (lit. 'salt on greens'), meaning to look wilted or dejected.

Common collocations

青菜(あおな)の炒(いた)め物(もの) — stir-fried greens
青菜(あおな)のおひたし — blanched greens in broth
青菜(あおな)に塩(しお) — looking dejected (idiom)

Related words

小松菜(こまつな) — komatsuna; a specific type of Japanese mustard green
葉物(はもの)野菜(やさい) — leafy vegetables; a more precise synonym
野菜(やさい) — vegetables; the general category

Related Words

Related: 小松菜(こまつな) (komatsuna)

Related: 葉物野菜(はものやさい) (leafy vegetables)

Related: 野菜(やさい) (vegetables)

Compare: 青物(あおもの) (green vegetables)

Compare: 菜(な)っ葉(ぱ) (leafy greens)

general

Added 2026.3.26 11:43 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

19500/19508_aona