Food & Drink Vocabulary
60+ Chinese words for food, drinks, restaurant vocabulary, and cooking methods, with pinyin, English, examples, and HSK levels.
Staples & Grains (主食 zhǔshí)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 米饭 | mǐfàn | cooked rice | 我想吃米饭。I want to eat rice. | 1 |
| 面条 | miàntiáo | noodles | 兰州拉面很有名。Lanzhou pulled noodles are famous. | 2 |
| 面包 | miànbāo | bread | 早上我吃面包。I eat bread in the morning. | 1 |
| 包子 | bāozi | steamed stuffed bun | 肉包子很好吃。Meat buns are delicious. | — |
| 饺子 | jiǎozi | dumplings (boiled) | 过年要吃饺子。We eat dumplings during New Year. | 2 |
| 馒头 | mántou | plain steamed bun | 北方人喜欢吃馒头。Northerners like to eat steamed buns. | — |
| 粥 | zhōu | congee / rice porridge | 生病了喝粥比较好。When sick, it's better to drink congee. | — |
| 炒饭 | chǎofàn | fried rice | 我要一个蛋炒饭。I'd like one egg fried rice. | — |
| 饭 | fàn | meal / cooked grain | 吃饭了！Time to eat! | 1 |
Vegetables (蔬菜 shūcài)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 蔬菜 | shūcài | vegetables | 多吃蔬菜对身体好。Eating more vegetables is good for health. | 3 |
| 白菜 | báicài | Chinese cabbage / napa | 白菜炒肉很好吃。Stir-fried cabbage with meat is tasty. | — |
| 土豆 | tǔdòu | potato | 土豆丝是家常菜。Shredded potato is a home-style dish. | — |
| 西红柿 | xīhóngshì | tomato | 西红柿炒鸡蛋是国民菜。Tomato and egg stir-fry is a national dish. | — |
| 黄瓜 | huángguā | cucumber | 拍黄瓜是凉菜。Smashed cucumber is a cold dish. | — |
| 胡萝卜 | húluóbo | carrot | 胡萝卜对眼睛好。Carrots are good for the eyes. | — |
| 洋葱 | yángcōng | onion | 切洋葱会流泪。Cutting onions makes you cry. | — |
| 大蒜 | dàsuàn | garlic | 很多中国菜用大蒜。Many Chinese dishes use garlic. | — |
| 生姜 | shēngjiāng | ginger | 姜汤可以驱寒。Ginger soup can warm you up. | — |
| 豆腐 | dòufu | tofu | 麻婆豆腐很辣。Mapo tofu is very spicy. | — |
| 菠菜 | bōcài | spinach | 菠菜富含铁质。Spinach is rich in iron. | — |
| 茄子 | qiézi | eggplant / aubergine | 鱼香茄子是川菜。Fish-flavored eggplant is a Sichuan dish. | — |
Meat & Seafood (肉类 ròulèi)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 肉 | ròu | meat | 我不吃肉。I don't eat meat. | 2 |
| 猪肉 | zhūròu | pork | 中国菜常用猪肉。Chinese cuisine often uses pork. | — |
| 牛肉 | niúròu | beef | 你要牛肉还是鸡肉？Do you want beef or chicken? | — |
| 羊肉 | yángròu | lamb / mutton | 新疆羊肉串很好吃。Xinjiang lamb skewers are delicious. | — |
| 鸡肉 | jīròu | chicken | 白切鸡是粤菜。White-cut chicken is Cantonese cuisine. | — |
| 鱼 | yú | fish | 你喜欢吃鱼吗？Do you like to eat fish? | 2 |
| 虾 | xiā | shrimp / prawn | 蒜蓉虾很鲜美。Garlic shrimp is very fresh and tasty. | — |
| 螃蟹 | pángxiè | crab | 大闸蟹是秋天的美食。Hairy crab is a fall delicacy. | — |
| 鸡蛋 | jīdàn | egg | 鸡蛋每天都要吃。Eggs should be eaten every day. | 1 |
| 培根 | péigēn | bacon | 我早上喜欢吃培根。I like to eat bacon in the morning. | — |
Fruits (水果 shuǐguǒ)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 苹果 | píngguǒ | apple | 一天一个苹果。An apple a day. | 1 |
| 香蕉 | xiāngjiāo | banana | 猴子爱吃香蕉。Monkeys love bananas. | — |
| 西瓜 | xīguā | watermelon | 夏天吃西瓜最爽。Watermelon in summer is the best. | 2 |
| 橙子 | chéngzi | orange | 橙子富含维生素C。Oranges are rich in Vitamin C. | — |
| 草莓 | cǎoméi | strawberry | 草莓季节很短。Strawberry season is very short. | — |
| 葡萄 | pútao | grapes | 新疆的葡萄很甜。Grapes from Xinjiang are very sweet. | — |
| 芒果 | mángguǒ | mango | 芒果奶昔很好喝。Mango milkshake is very good. | — |
| 桃子 | táozi | peach | 寿桃代表长寿。Peaches represent longevity. | — |
Drinks (饮料 yǐnliào)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 水 | shuǐ | water | 多喝水。Drink more water. | 1 |
| 热水 | rèshuǐ | hot water | 中国人喜欢喝热水。Chinese people like to drink hot water. | 1 |
| 茶 | chá | tea | 中国茶文化历史悠久。Chinese tea culture has a long history. | 1 |
| 绿茶 | lǜchá | green tea | 龙井是有名的绿茶。Longjing is a famous green tea. | — |
| 红茶 | hóngchá | black tea (red tea) | 英式红茶配牛奶。English black tea with milk. | — |
| 咖啡 | kāfēi | coffee | 我每天喝一杯咖啡。I drink one cup of coffee every day. | 2 |
| 牛奶 | niúnǎi | milk | 牛奶对骨骼有好处。Milk is good for bones. | 1 |
| 果汁 | guǒzhī | fruit juice | 我要一杯橙汁。I'd like a glass of orange juice. | 2 |
| 酒 | jiǔ | alcohol / wine / liquor | 他不会喝酒。He can't drink alcohol. | 3 |
| 啤酒 | píjiǔ | beer | 我要一杯啤酒。I'd like a beer. | — |
| 白酒 | báijiǔ | baijiu (Chinese liquor) | 茅台是著名的白酒。Maotai is a famous baijiu. | — |
| 可乐 | kělè | cola | 你要可乐还是雪碧？Do you want cola or Sprite? | — |
| 奶茶 | nǎichá | milk tea | 珍珠奶茶风靡全世界。Bubble milk tea is popular worldwide. | — |
| 豆浆 | dòujiāng | soy milk | 早饭喝豆浆很健康。Soy milk for breakfast is healthy. | — |
Restaurant Vocabulary (餐厅词汇 cāntīng cíhuì)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 餐厅 | cāntīng | restaurant / dining hall | 这家餐厅的菜很好。The food at this restaurant is great. | 2 |
| 饭馆 | fànguǎn | restaurant (casual) | 附近有好吃的饭馆吗？Is there a good restaurant nearby? | — |
| 菜单 | càidān | menu | 服务员，给我看看菜单。Waiter, let me see the menu. | 3 |
| 服务员 | fúwùyuán | waiter / service staff | 服务员！过来一下！Waiter! Come here please! | 2 |
| 点菜 | diǎncài | to order dishes | 你们点好菜了吗？Have you ordered yet? | — |
| 买单 | mǎidān | to pay the bill | 买单！Check, please! | — |
| 结账 | jiézhàng | to settle the bill | 我来结账。I'll pay the bill. | — |
| 外卖 | wàimài | takeout / food delivery | 我点了外卖。I ordered takeout. | — |
| 打包 | dǎbāo | to pack (leftovers) | 可以帮我打包吗？Can you pack this for me? | — |
| 免费 | miǎnfèi | free (of charge) | 今天的茶是免费的。Today's tea is free. | 3 |
| 预约 | yùyuē | to make a reservation | 我订了一个位子。I made a reservation for a table. | — |
| 位子 | wèizi | seat / table | 有空位子吗？Are there any empty seats? | — |
| 辣 | là | spicy | 这个菜很辣。This dish is very spicy. | — |
| 甜 | tián | sweet | 这个甜点很甜。This dessert is very sweet. | — |
| 咸 | xián | salty | 这个汤太咸了。This soup is too salty. | — |
| 酸 | suān | sour | 这个醋很酸。This vinegar is very sour. | — |
Cooking Methods (烹饪方法 pēngrèn fāngfǎ)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 炒 | chǎo | to stir-fry | 炒菜要大火。Stir-frying requires high heat. | — |
| 煮 | zhǔ | to boil / cook in water | 煮饺子要加盐。Add salt when boiling dumplings. | 3 |
| 蒸 | zhēng | to steam | 清蒸鱼很健康。Steamed fish is very healthy. | — |
| 烤 | kǎo | to roast / grill / bake | 烤鸭是北京名菜。Roast duck is a famous Beijing dish. | — |
| 炸 | zhá | to deep-fry | 炸鸡很好吃但不健康。Fried chicken is tasty but unhealthy. | — |
| 红烧 | hóngshāo | to braise in soy sauce | 红烧肉是家常菜。Braised pork belly is home cooking. | — |
| 凉拌 | liángbàn | cold/tossed salad style | 凉拌黄瓜很爽口。Cold cucumber salad is refreshing. | — |
| 腌 | yān | to pickle / marinate | 泡菜是腌的蔬菜。Kimchi is pickled vegetables. | — |
Useful Phrases (实用句子 shíyòng jùzi)
| Phrase | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我想要... | Wǒ xiǎng yào... | I'd like... |
| 不要辣 | Bù yào là | Not spicy / No spice |
| 少放辣椒 | Shǎo fàng làjiāo | Use fewer chili peppers |
| 我对...过敏 | Wǒ duì... guòmǐn | I'm allergic to... |
| 好吃！ | Hǎo chī! | Delicious! |
| 真好吃！ | Zhēn hǎo chī! | Really delicious! |
| 这个多少钱？ | Zhège duōshao qián? | How much is this? |
| 再来一份。 | Zài lái yī fèn. | One more serving please. |
| 我吃素。 | Wǒ chī sù. | I'm vegetarian. |
| 有什么推荐的？ | Yǒu shénme tuījiàn de? | What do you recommend? |
| 这个是什么？ | Zhège shì shénme? | What is this? |
| 干杯！ | Gānbēi! | Cheers! |