Chinese Food Vocabulary – Learn Essential Food Words in Mandarin 🍜

Chinese cuisine is famous worldwide for its variety and unique flavors. If you are learning Mandarin, knowing Chinese food vocabulary will help you feel more confident when traveling, ordering at restaurants, or talking with native speakers.

In this guide, you’ll find the most useful Chinese words for food, ingredients, drinks, and cooking verbs, complete with pinyin and English meaning.

🍲 Common Dishes

• 🍚 米饭 (mǐfàn) – Rice

• 🍜 面条 (miàntiáo) – Noodles

• 🥟 饺子 (jiǎozi) – Dumplings

• 🍞 面包 (miànbāo) – Bread

• 🍲 火锅 (huǒguō) – Hotpot

• 🍳 炒饭 (chǎofàn) – Fried Rice

🌶️ Ingredients & Seasonings

• 🥩 肉 (ròu) – Meat

• 🥦 蔬菜 (shūcài) – Vegetables

• 🍎 水果 (shuǐguǒ) – Fruit

• 🧂 盐 (yán) – Salt

• 🍚 糖 (táng) – Sugar

• 🫙 酱油 (jiàngyóu) – Soy Sauce

🍽️ Eating & Cooking Verbs

• 😋 吃 (chī) – To eat

• 🍹 喝 (hē) – To drink

• 🧑‍🍳 做饭 (zuòfàn) – To cook

• 🛒 买 (mǎi) – To buy

• 🔪 切 (qiē) – To cut

• 🔥 炒 (chǎo) – To stir-fry

🥤 Drinks & Desserts

• ☕ 咖啡 (kāfēi) – Coffee

• 🍵 茶 (chá) – Tea

• 🥤 果汁 (guǒzhī) – Juice

• 🍰 蛋糕 (dàngāo) – Cake

• 🍦 冰淇淋 (bīngqílín) – Ice Cream

• 🍬 糖果 (tángguǒ) – Candy

✍️ Practice Exercises

🔹 Exercise 1: Match the Words

Match the Chinese word with its English meaning:

🔹 Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct word (choose from: 米饭, 茶, 糖, 肉, 蛋糕):

1. I want to eat some ______ (mǐfàn).

2. She drinks hot ______ (chá) every morning.

3. Kids love sweet ______ (táng).

4. Vegetarians don’t eat ______ (ròu).

5. For my birthday, I had a big ______ (dàngāo).

🔹 Exercise 3: Translate into English

Translate these Chinese phrases:

1. 我喜欢喝咖啡。 (Wǒ xǐhuān hē kāfēi.)

2. 他买了水果和蔬菜。 (Tā mǎi le shuǐguǒ hé shūcài.)

3. 我们今天吃火锅。 (Wǒmen jīntiān chī huǒguō.)

✅ Answer Key

Exercise 1:

1 → C (Dumplings)
2 → E (Noodles)
3 → A (Vegetables)
4 → D (Soy Sauce)
5 → B (To cook)

Exercise 2:

1. 米饭 (Rice)

2. 茶 (Tea)

3. 糖 (Sugar)

4. 肉 (Meat)

5. 蛋糕 (Cake)

Exercise 3:

1. I like to drink coffee.

2. He bought fruit and vegetables.

3. Today we are eating hotpot.

🎯 Conclusion

Learning Chinese food vocabulary is not only fun but also practical for real-life situations like eating out, shopping at markets, or traveling in China.

👉 Pro Tip: Try to memorize these words by connecting them to your daily meals or using flashcards for quick practice.

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