Learn Chinese Food in Chinese

Vocabulary, Pinyin, Examples & Test

Chinese Food in Chinese | Learn Chinese Vocabulary with NihaoCafe

Learn the names of the most common, most popular, and the most delicious Chinese dishes for your next trip to a Chinese restaurant! With so many kinds of Chinese food — salty, spicy, sweet — you will need these words to order food in the street or from a restaurant menu.

This list with real human audio voice recordings will show you how to pronounce the most important words.

Show pinyin

body Cài 菜 dish chinese nihaocafe

菜

cài

dish

妈妈做了很多菜。

Māmā zuò le hěn duō cài.

Mom made a lot of dishes.

MEASURE WORD 盘 pán

Chinese Food | 中国菜 Zhōngguó cài Chinese food | chinese nihaocafe

中国菜

zhōngguócài

Chinese food

中国菜很好吃。

Zhōngguócài hěn hǎochī.

Chinese food is delicious.

Chinese Food | 中餐 Zhōngcān Chinese food | chinese nihaocafe

中餐

zhōngcān

Chinese food

你喜欢吃中餐还是西餐？

Nǐ xǐhuan chī zhōngcān háishi xīcān?

Do you like to eat Chinese food or Western food?

body Měishí 美食 gourmet chinese nihaocafe

美食

měishí

gourmet food / delicacy

四川有很多美食。

Sìchuān yǒu hěn duō měishí.

Sichuan has many delicacies.

MEASURE WORD 种 zhǒng

Chinese Food | 饺子 Jiǎozi Dumplings | chinese nihaocafe

饺子

jiǎozi

dumplings

她爱吃饺子。

Tā ài chī jiǎozi.

She loves dumplings.

Chinese Food | 炒饭. Fried rice | chinese nihaocafe

炒饭

chǎofàn

fried rice

你吃过炒饭吗？

Ni chī guo chǎofàn ma?

Have you tried fried rice?

Chinese Food | 火锅 Huǒguō Hot Pot | chinese nihaocafe

火锅

huǒguō

hot pot

我冬天喜欢吃火锅。

Wǒ dōngtiān xǐhuan chī huǒguō.

I like to eat hot pot in winter.

Chinese Food | 面条 Miàntiáo noodles | chinese nihaocafe

面条

miàntiáo

noodles

你更喜欢吃米饭还是面条？

Nǐ gèng xǐhuan chī mǐfàn háishi miàntiáo?

Do you prefer rice or noodles?

Chinese Food | 米饭 Mǐfàn rice | chinese nihaocafe

米饭

mǐfàn

(cooked) rice

给我们两碗米饭，谢谢。

Gěi wǒmen liǎng wǎn mǐfàn, xièxiè.

We’d like two bowls of rice, thank you.

Chinese Food | 烤鸭 Kǎoyā Roast Duck | chinese nihaocafe

烤鸭

kǎoyā

roast duck

北京烤鸭特别好吃。

Běijīng kǎoyā tèbié hǎochī.

Peking roast duck is particularly good.

Chinese Food | 辣 Là hot | chinese nihaocafe

辣

là

spicy

你能吃辣吗？

Nǐ néng chī là ma?

Can you eat (handle) spicy food?

celebrities | Chénglóng 成龙 Jackie Chan | chinese nihaocafe

主食

zhǔshí

staple food

你喜欢吃什么主食？

Nǐ xǐhuān chī shénme zhǔshí?

What’s your favourite staple food?

Chinese Food | 包子 Bāozi bun | chinese nihaocafe

包子

bāozi

steamed bun(s)

他喜欢吃肉包子。

Tā xǐhuan chī ròu bāozi.

He likes to eat steamed buns with meat filling.

Test Your Knowledge

Have you learned all the words?

It’s time to test yourself!

Choose between the 2 formats: you can practice your knowledge of the Chinese characters or their English translations.

(See how well you know the Chinese characters)

(See how well you can translate the English words into Chinese)

Learn More Vocabulary

Done with this list?

We’ve got more vocabulary lists for you 🤩

Check out our lists on People, House & Rooms, Economics or view the full list here.

People in Chinese | Learn Chinese Vocabulary with NihaoCafe

Describe People in Chinese

Money Economy in Chinese | Learn Chinese Vocabulary with NihaoCafe

Economics in Chinese

House Rooms in Chinese | Learn Chinese Vocabulary with NihaoCafe

Words Describing House & rooms in Chinese