樧 (shā) - Chinese prickly ash & Zanthoxylum

樧Tone 1

shā ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

三姗

樧 · shā

Chinese prickly ash;

Zanthoxylum;

Sichuan pepper;

a type of spice used in Chinese cuisine.

Chinese prickly ashZanthoxylumSichuan pepper

Usage highlights

prickly ashprickly ash powderprickly ash oilSichuan pepperspice plantnumbing spice

Synonyms

  • 椒— pepper; prickly ash
  • 花椒— Sichuan pepper

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Sichuan pepper (花椒) is also known as Chinese prickly ash.
  • The dish is seasoned with prickly ash powder (樧粉).
  • This spice has a numbing sensation (麻味) characteristic of Sichuan cuisine.

Collocations

  • prickly ash(樧椒)
  • prickly ash powder(樧粉)
  • prickly ash oil(樧油)
  • Sichuan pepper(花椒)
  • spice plant(香料植物)
  • numbing spice(麻味香料)

Idioms

  • No specific idioms featuring this character are commonly used

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Sichuan pepper (Zanthoxylum) is a fundamental spice in Sichuan cuisine, known for its unique numbing sensation (málà).
  • While 樧 refers to this plant, the more common character used in modern Chinese is 椒, particularly in 花椒.
  • This character appears in classical texts and botanical contexts but is less common in everyday modern usage.

FAQ