茄 jiā eggplant
How to remember 茄: 艹 grass + 加 add = eggplant. Grandpa pulls the grass around his vegetable bed and smiles, ready to add a shiny purple eggplant to tonight's curry.
Component breakdown
茄 = 艹 grass + 加 add
- 艹 grass
- 加 add
- 力 power
- 口 mouth
Grandpa pulls the grass around his vegetable bed and smiles, ready to add a shiny purple eggplant to tonight's curry.
How it is used
- 茄 is usually read qié, not jiā - 茄子 (qiézi) 'eggplant' and 番茄 (fānqié) 'tomato' both use the qié reading.
- The jiā reading given here is a separate, rarer usage limited to 雪茄 (xuějiā) 'cigar,' a sound-based loan for the English word.
- Because the two readings map to completely different words (vegetables vs. cigars), always check context before pronouncing it.