noun
General term for edible leafy greens and vegetables, often used in compounds like 野菜 (vegetables) or 菜食 (vegetarian diet).
この菜は炒めると美味しい。
These greens are delicious when stir-fried.
畑で菜を育てている。
I'm growing vegetables in the field.
noun
Specifically refers to the rape plant (Brassica napus), often in agricultural or botanical contexts. Also used for rapeseed oil (菜種油).
菜の花が一面に咲いている。
The rape blossoms are blooming all over.
菜種から油を搾る。
Oil is pressed from rapeseed.
The kanji 菜 originally depicts a plant with edible leaves. The reading な is a native Japanese word for greens.