髮菜

Chinese

		hair	vegetable
trad. (髮菜)		髮	菜
simp. (发菜)		发	菜

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): fàcài, fǎcài

(Zhuyin): ㄈㄚˋ ㄘㄞˋ, ㄈㄚˇ ㄘㄞˋ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): faat³ coi³

(Taishan, Wiktionary): fat¹ toi^1*
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): fà-chhoi

(Meixian, Guangdong): fad⁵ coi⁴
Eastern Min (BUC): huák-chái
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): hoat-chhài

(Teochew, Peng'im): huêg⁴ cai³
Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁷faq-tshe₅ / ⁷faq ⁵tshe
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): fa⁶ cai⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: fàcài
  - Zhuyin: ㄈㄚˋ ㄘㄞˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: fàcài
  - Wade–Giles: fa⁴-tsʻai⁴
  - Yale: fà-tsài
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: fahtsay
  - Palladius: фацай (facaj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /fä⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰaɪ̯⁵¹/
- (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: fǎcài
  - Zhuyin: ㄈㄚˇ ㄘㄞˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: fǎcài
  - Wade–Giles: fa³-tsʻai⁴
  - Yale: fǎ-tsài
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: faatsay
  - Palladius: фацай (facaj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /fä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰaɪ̯⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: faat³ coi³
  - Yale: faat choi
  - Cantonese Pinyin: faat⁸ tsoi³
  - Guangdong Romanization: fad³ coi³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /faːt̚³ t͡sʰɔːi̯³³/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: fat¹ toi^1*
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /fat̚³³ tʰᵘɔi³³⁻³³⁵/
Hakka
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fà-chhoi
  - Hakka Romanization System: fa^ˇ coi
  - Hagfa Pinyim: fa² coi⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /fa¹¹ t͡sʰoi̯⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: fad⁵ coi⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /fat̚¹ t͡sʰoɪ⁵³/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: huák-chái
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /huaʔ²⁴⁻⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑi²¹³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hoat-chhài
  - Tâi-lô: huat-tshài
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hoatzhaix
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen, Singapore): /huat̚³²⁻⁴ t͡sʰai²¹/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: huêg⁴ cai³
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: huek tshài
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /huek̚²⁻⁴ t͡sʰai²¹³/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁷faq-tshe₅
  - MiniDict: fah^入 tshe^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁴faq-tshe₂
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /faʔ³³ t͡sʰe⁴⁴/
- (Northern: Hangzhou)
  - Wugniu: ⁷faq ⁵tshe
  - MiniDict: feh^入 tshe^去
  - Sinological IPA (Hangzhou): /fɑʔ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɛ⁴⁵/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: fa⁶ cai⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɸa̠²⁴ t͡sʰai̯⁴⁵/

Noun

髮菜

hair moss; fat choy (the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme, which is eaten as a vegetable in Chinese cuisine)
髮菜蠔豉／发菜蚝豉 [Cantonese] ― faat³ coi³ hou⁴ si^6-2 [Jyutping] ― fat choy and dried oyster (a dish commonly eaten during Chinese New Year due to near-homophony to 發財好市 / 发财好市 (faat³ coi⁴ hou² si⁵, “to make a fortune and have good business”))

Usage notes

This is often considered an auspicious vegetable because it is near-homophonous to 發財／发财 (fācái, “to make a fortune”).

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 髮菜 (“hair moss; fat choy”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		髮菜, 頭髮菜
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	髮菜
Northeastern Mandarin	Singapore	髮菜
Central Plains Mandarin	Xining	髮菜
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	頭髮菜
Southwestern Mandarin	Liuzhou	髮菜
Cantonese	Guangzhou	髮菜
	Hong Kong	髮菜
	Taishan	髮菜
	Singapore (Guangfu)	髮菜
Hakka	Meixian	髮菜
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	髮菜
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	海絲
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	髮菜
	Pingtung (Wuluo, Ligang; S. Sixian)	頭毛菜
	Kaohsiung (Meinong; S. Sixian)	頭那毛菜
	Kaohsiung (Shanlin; S. Sixian)	頭毛菜
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	海絲
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	髮菜
Eastern Min	Fuzhou (Changle)	髮菜
Southern Min	Xiamen	頭毛菜
	Zhangzhou	頭毛菜
	Kaohsiung	頭毛菜
	Yilan (Luodong)	頭毛絲菜
	Yilan (Toucheng)	頭毛菜
	Tainan	頭毛菜
	Tainan (Anping)	頭毛菜
	Chiayi	頭毛菜
	Chiayi County (Dongshi)	頭毛菜
	Singapore (Hokkien)	髮菜, 頭毛菜
	Manila (Hokkien)	髮菜, 頭毛菜
	Bangkok (Teochew)	髮菜, 頭毛菜
	Chiang Mai (Teochew)	髮菜, 毛菜
Wu	Shanghai	髮菜
	Suzhou	頭髮菜
	Hangzhou	髮菜, 頭髮菜
Xiang	Changsha	髮菜

Descendants

→ English: fat choy, fa cai