100 Chinese Food/Drink Words and Phrases Nǎichá: Milk tea/bubble tea

A cheat sheet for ordering in Mandarin

Food

*A note on pronunciation: Mandarin Chinese For the carnivore

uses four tones. A shift in tone can change a
word’s meaning entirely, but a system called Ròu: Meat
pinyin transcribes characters into the Roman Jī ròu: Chicken
alphabet to help English-speakers pronounce Niúròu: Beef
the word they mean (lest you order something Zhū ròu: Pork
very strange). Happy New Year — Xīnnián Yáng ròu: Mutton
Kuàilè!
From the sea

Drinking Hǎixiān: Seafood

Yú: Fish
Alcoholic Xiā: Shrimp
Xiè: Crab
Píjiǔ: Beer Lóngxiā: Lobster
Báijiǔ: Literally means “white liquor”
Shàoxīngjiǔ: Shaoxing fermented rice wine Vegetables
Hóng pútáojiǔ: Red wine
Bái pútáojiǔ: White wine Dòufu: Tofu
Gānbēi: Cheers! Dòuyá: Bean sprout
Bōcài: Spinach
Non-alcoholic Báicài: Cabbage
Cōng: Scallion/Onion
Guǒzhī: Fruit juice Sǔn: Bamboo shoot
Yī píng shuǐ: One bottle of water Mógu: Mushroom
Bīng shuǐ: Ice water (not really something you Xīhóngshì/ Fān qié: Tomato
should order in China) Yùmǐ: Corn
Kěkǒukělè or Kělè: Coca-Cola Tǔdòu: Potato
Xuěbì: Sprite Qiézi: Eggplant
Kāfēi: Coffee
Dòujiāng: Fresh soymilk Menu Mainstays
Niúnǎi: Literally “cow’s milk”
Mǐfàn: White rice
Tea Chǎo fàn: Fried rice
Jiǎozi: Dumplings
Hóngchá: Black tea Húntún: Wonton
Lǜchá: Green tea Tāng: Soup
Mòlìhuāchá: Jasmine tea Bāozi: Stuffed steamed bun
Wūlóngchá: Oolong tea Mántou: Plain steamed bun
Júhuā chá: Chrysanthemum tea Chǎomiàn: Fried noodles
Tāngmiàn: Noodle soup Good To Know
Zhōu: Congee/Porridge
Yóutiáo: Cruller (to accompany Zhōu) Chī fàn: To eat (literally “eat rice”)
Jīdàn: Egg Zǎocān: Breakfast
Cháyè dàn: Tea-soaked egg Wǔcān/Wǔfàn: Lunch
Pídàn: Century-old egg (preserved duck egg) Wǎncān/Wǎnfàn: Dinner
Diǎnxīn: Dessert
Good Regional Dishes to Know Cānguǎn: Restaurant
Gè rén: (Number) of people
Sìchuān Huǒguō: Sichuan hot pot Fúwùyuán: Waiter/waitress
Chāshāo: Cantonese barbeque pork Do NOT call your waitress Xiǎojiě. While it
Běijīng kǎoyā: Beijing roast duck typically means “Miss,” in the service industry it
Lánzhōu lāmiàn: Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles is slang for “prostitute.”
Xiǎolóng bāo: Shanghai small steamed buns Kuàizi: Chopsticks
Yángròu chuan: Chinese Muslim barbeque Chā: Fork
mutton skewers Wǒ chī sù: I am vegetarian.
Dōng pō zhū ròu: Hangzhou braised pork belly Wǒ yào zhège: I would like this one.
Hézǐ jiān: Fujian oyster omelet Yǒu shénme hào chī de: What’s good to eat?
Chǎngshā chòu dòufu: Changsha-style stinky Zhè shì shénme: What is this?
tofu Càidān: Menu
Diǎn cài: To order
Flavor Duōshǎo qián: How much (does it cost)?
Hěn hào chī: Delicious
Là: Spicy Zhēn bàng: Awesome
Má là: Numbing spicy
Suān: Sour
Xián: Salty
Tián: Sweet
Kǔ: Bitter
Xiān: Similar to “umami”
Chòu: Smelly or pungent
Wèidào: Taste/smell

Spices/Seasoning

Jiàngyóu: Soy sauce

Cù: Vinegar
Dàsuàn: Garlic
Jiāng: Ginger
Zhīma: Sesame
Làjiāo: Hot pepper
Huājiāo: Sichuan peppercorn (literally “flower
pepper”)