菜(な)っ葉(ぱ)

A casual, everyday word for leafy green vegetables. The term covers a wide range of greens including 小松菜(こまつな), 法蓮草(ほうれんそう), 青梗菜(ちんげんさい), and similar vegetables. It has a homey, kitchen-table feel and is more informal than the precise vegetable name or the botanical term 葉菜(ようさい).

Common collocations

• 菜(な)っ葉(ぱ)を茹(ゆ)でる: to boil leafy greens
• 菜(な)っ葉(ぱ)を炒(いた)める: to stir-fry leafy greens
• 菜(な)っ葉(ぱ)類(るい): leafy greens (as a category)

Similar words

• 葉菜(ようさい): leaf vegetables — the formal/agricultural term for the same category
• 青菜(あおな): green leafy vegetables — slightly more specific, emphasizing the green color
• 葉物(はもの): leafy produce — a market/grocery term for leaf vegetables

Usage

Often written in hiragana as なっぱ in casual contexts. The word has a warm, colloquial tone and is especially common in home cooking conversations.