葱

蔥

cōng

怱 + 艹

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

cōng (noun) scallion; green onion

Etymology phono-semantic

grass

Semantic: 艹 Phonetic: 怱

About

The character 葱 combines a semantic and phonetic element: the grass radical 艹 atop the character places it in the plant category, while the component 怱 (cōng) below provides the pronunciation. The traditional form 蔥 contains the phonetic 悤, which has the heart radical 心 at the bottom and a more complex upper section. Both simplified and traditional versions refer to the scallion (green onion), a pungent allium widely used in East Asian cuisine. By extension, the character can also denote the vibrant green color of fresh scallion leaves, functioning as an adjective.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这些葱很新鲜。

Zhè xiē cōng hěn xīn xiān.

These scallions are very fresh.

妈妈用葱做菜。

Mā ma yòng cōng zuò cài.

Mom uses scallions to cook dishes.

我喜欢吃洋葱圈。

Wǒ xǐ huān chī yáng cōng quān.

I like to eat onion rings.

大葱的味道很香。

Dà cōng de wèi dào hěn xiāng.

The smell of green onions is very fragrant.

请把葱切成小段。

Qǐng bǎ cōng qiē chéng xiǎo duàn.

Please cut the scallions into small sections.

洋葱和葱都是常用的调料。

Yáng cōng hé cōng dōu shì cháng yòng de tiáo liào.

Onions and scallions are both commonly used seasonings.

在汤里撒一些葱花会更美味。

Zài tāng lǐ sǎ yī xiē cōng huā huì gèng měi wèi.

Sprinkling some chopped scallions in the soup will make it more delicious.

虽然洋葱有点辣，但葱的辛辣味更温和。

Suī rán yáng cōng yǒu diǎn là, dàn cōng de xīn là wèi gèng wēn hé.

Although onions are a bit spicy, the pungent taste of scallions is milder.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 怱

Component: 艹

葱