菜 Strokes Write it Listen 菜 cài dish (type of food); vegetable; cuisine HSK 1 11 strokes Radical 艹 Sound + meaning 5 words Built from艹meaningcǎograss, weed, plant, herb采soundcǎito collect, to gather; to pick, to pluck How it works艹 hints at the meaning (plant), and 采 cǎi hints at the sound.