Ten vegetables, one printable page. This sheet covers 蔬菜 (shū cài, vegetables) as the umbrella word, then 白菜, 青菜, 土豆, 西红柿, 黄瓜, 胡萝卜, 洋葱, 蘑菇 and 玉米, each with pinyin above 田字格 (tián zì gé) tracing grids. It prints at home or saves as a PDF, and nothing is gated behind an account.
Names that explain themselves
Read these words character by character and most of them describe what is in your hand. 白菜 is the white vegetable, 青菜 the green one, 土豆 an earth bean, and 黄瓜 a yellow melon. 西红柿 is the best of the bunch: west plus red plus persimmon, a tomato described as a red persimmon from the West. Southern speakers often say 番茄 instead, and 番 is another word that once meant foreign.
胡 and 洋 mark the imports
Look at the first character of 胡萝卜 and 洋葱. 胡 labelled goods that arrived overland through Central Asia, while 洋 means ocean and marks what came by sea, so a carrot is the 胡 radish and an onion the overseas scallion. The same fossil sits in 胡椒 for pepper. One more trap worth knowing: 菜 means vegetable, but it also means a cooked dish, so 点菜 is ordering food and 中国菜 is Chinese cuisine rather than Chinese greens.
Trace the guided strokes, then fill the blank squares from memory. Pair this page with the Chinese fruits worksheet for the rest of the market, or type your own shopping list into the Chinese worksheet generator to make a matching sheet.
Words on this worksheet: 蔬菜 (shūcài) — Vegetables; 白菜 (bái cài) — Chinese cabbage; 青菜 (qīng cài) — green vegetables; 土豆 (tǔdòu) — Potato; 西红柿 (xīhóngshì) — Tomato; 黄瓜 (huáng guā) — cucumber, cuke; 胡萝卜 (hú luó bo) — carrot; 洋葱 (yáng cōng) — onion (Allium cepa); 蘑菇 (mó gu) — mushroom; 玉米 (yùmǐ) — Corn.
Hear these words in beginner Mandarin songs.
Frequently asked questions
Is this worksheet free to download as a PDF?
Yes. The Vegetables worksheet is free to print or save as a PDF, with no account or email needed. Press Print / Download PDF: on a computer the PDF opens ready to print or save, and on a phone it goes to your share sheet. A4 or US Letter follows your country.
What level is this worksheet?
It suits learners from about HSK 3. That is an editorial estimate for the Vegetables topic, not an official HSK word list, so a few of its 10 words may be harder. Each word prints with tone-marked pinyin and an English meaning to help.
Can I print copies for my class?
Yes. Print as many copies as you like — it's free. For a class set, press Change the words and open More options to add an answer key, a class line or a dictation page; the Student PDF leaves the key out. Test turns the sheet into a quiz.
Can I change the words or use traditional characters?
Yes. Press Change the words to open this sheet in the generator, then add, remove or replace words, up to 20 per sheet. Set Characters to Traditional to switch the whole sheet to traditional characters; a word with no verified traditional form stays as you typed it.
How should I practice with this worksheet?
Trace the gray guides first, saying each word aloud, then cover the model and write the characters from memory in the blank boxes. Scan the sheet's QR code or open the Practice tab to watch each stroke animate, trace it, then recall it without a guide. Revisit missed words a day or two later.