姜

• Pinyin: jiāng
• Hanzi breakdown: 姜 = 羊 (sheep, phonetic) + 女 (woman) — surname character also used for ginger; variant 薑 shows 艹 (grass) + 畺 (phonetic)

Meaning

Ginger. A pungent root used extensively in Chinese cooking and traditional medicine.

Essential ingredient in Chinese cuisine, used fresh, dried, or pickled. In traditional medicine, ginger warms the body and aids digestion. The saying 姜还是老的辣 (older ginger is spicier) means experienced people are more capable. Can refer to the plant itself or the harvested root.

Examples

1. 这道菜需要加几片姜去腥。 This dish needs a few slices of ginger to remove the fishy smell.
2. 冬天喝姜茶可以驱寒暖身。 Drinking ginger tea in winter can ward off cold and warm the body.
3. 农贸市场的老姜比超市的新姜辣多了。 The old ginger at the farmers market is much spicier than the young ginger at the supermarket.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, medicine, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 炒菜时先放姜爆香。(When stir-frying, add ginger first to release its fragrance.)
• 姜还是老的辣，还是听听前辈的意见吧。(Older ginger is spicier — let's hear what the seniors have to say.)

Don't Say

• 混淆姜和生姜的用法 (姜 and 生姜 both mean ginger, but 生姜 specifically emphasizes fresh ginger as opposed to dried 干姜; use 生姜 in recipes requiring fresh)

Origin & History

A pictophonetic character with 艹 (grass radical) indicating it is a plant, and 畺 as the phonetic component. Ginger has been cultivated in China for over 2,500 years.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal