Vegetables

Chinese Lettuce

A loose-headed Chinese lettuce with tender green leaves and long pale-green ribs.

3 identity clues

A loose-headed Chinese lettuce with tender green leaves and long pale-green ribs.
Look for an upright but open head, long pale-green midribs and soft green leaf blades.
Chinese lettuce is loose-headed; iceberg lettuce forms a dense round head.

Reading language:

Names in other languages

繁體中文: 唐生菜
English: Chinese Lettuce
Bahasa Indonesia: Selada cina (唐生菜)
Tagalog: Chinese Lettuce (唐生菜) — letsugas na maluwag ang ulo at malambot ang dahon

Name in Cantonese (Jyutping): tong4 sang1 coi3

What is it?

Chinese lettuce has a loose cluster of tender, upright leaves rather than a firm round head.

How to identify it

Look for an upright but open head, long pale-green midribs and soft green leaf blades.

Common confusion

This item

Chinese Lettuce

A loose-headed Chinese lettuce with tender green leaves and long pale-green ribs.
Look for an upright but open head, long pale-green midribs and soft green leaf blades.
Chinese lettuce is loose-headed; iceberg lettuce forms a dense round head.

Compare

Indian Lettuce

Long narrow upright leaves
No compact cabbage head
Light-green blades with pale midribs

Compare

Iceberg Lettuce

A dense round head lettuce with crisp overlapping pale-green leaves.
Look for a nearly spherical compact head, tightly layered leaves and a paler core.
Iceberg is tightly headed; Chinese lettuce is an open upright bunch.

How to identify it

Chinese lettuce is loose-headed; iceberg lettuce forms a dense round head.

Common Hong Kong household uses

Use in a recipe that specifically names this vegetable; this page identifies the market item only.

Choosing & preparing

Wash thoroughly under clean running water before cooking; do not use soap, special detergent or produce wash.

Storage

Wash only immediately before cooking or eating; if pre-washing is necessary, dry thoroughly and follow the label or supplier storage directions.

Helper tip

Use the Hong Kong name and check the physical features or original label when buying. Look for an upright but open head, long pale-green midribs and soft green leaf blades.

What Ma’am or Sir may say

唔該要唐生菜，俾我睇清楚先。

The employer wants Chinese Lettuce and asks for it to be checked before purchase.

Useful market phrase

唔該要唐生菜，俾我睇清楚先。

Meaning: Chinese Lettuce, please. Let me look at it carefully first.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-24

Sources (5)