Meanings
nounChinese yam (countable and uncountable, plural Chinese yams)
plural Chinese yams
- countableuncountableA cinnamon vine (Dioscorea polystachya),
- countableuncountableA tuber of the vine, used for food; nagaimo, Chinese potato.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounhardy Chinese vine naturalized in United States and cultivated as an ornamental climber for its glossy heart-shaped cinnamon-scented leaves and in the tropics for its edible tubers
Similar
cinnamon vineDioscorea batata
Broader
yamyam plant
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Cantonese 淮山
- 淮山 (waai⁴ saan¹)plant
Chinese Mandarin 山藥 /山药, 薯蕷 /薯蓣
- 山藥 /山药 (shānyao)tuber
- 薯蕷 /薯蓣 (shǔyù)tuber
- 山藥 /山药 (shānyao)plant
- 薯蕷 /薯蓣 (shǔyù)plant
Japanese 長芋
- 長芋 (nagaimo)plant
Cite this entry
APA
Chinese yam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20yam
MLA
“Chinese yam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20yam. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Chinese yam,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20yam.
Source: Chinese yam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.