青椒 (qīng jiāo) literally means 'green pepper' — 青 (qīng) refers to the bluish-green color commonly used for young, unripe vegetables in Chinese, and 椒 (jiāo) is the general term for peppers or chilies. Though English calls it a 'bell pepper', 青椒 specifically denotes the mild, crisp, green variety — not spicy like chili peppers (e.g., 辣椒). It’s a staple in Chinese home cooking, stir-fries, and stuffed dishes, valued for its fresh texture and subtle sweetness.

This word is exclusively used for the vegetable itself, not for color description (unlike 青, which can mean 'youthful' or 'blue-green' in other contexts). It’s always a countable noun: you say 一个青椒 (one green bell pepper), not *青椒个. In regional varieties, some speakers may use 甜椒 (tián jiāo, 'sweet pepper') interchangeably, but 青椒 remains the most common and neutral term across Mandarin-speaking areas.