洋葱 (yángcōng): onion

Measure Word

一个洋葱 gè

切洋葱会让人流泪。

Qiē yángcōng huì ràng rénliú lèi.

Cutting onions makes people cry.

这道菜需要加洋葱。

Zhè dào cài xūyào jiā yángcōng.

This dish needs onion.

memory

洋 (foreign/ocean) + 葱 (scallion) = foreign scallion = onion. Onions were introduced to China from abroad, so they got the 'foreign' prefix.

洋 yáng

葱 cōng