Learn food vocabulary and ordering in Mandarin.
Common foods:
Ordering:
| Mandarin | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 米饭 | Rice | 我要一碗米饭。 |
| 面条 | Noodles | 面条很好吃。 |
| 饺子 | Dumplings | 饺子是我最爱的食物。 |
| 我要 | I want | 我要一杯茶。 |
| 好吃 | Delicious | 这个好吃！ |
| 买单 | The bill | 服务员，买单！ |
| Word | Phonetic | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 饺子 | "j" is palatal; "ǎo" is a diphthong — like "ow" in "cow" | |
| 好吃 | 3rd then 1st tone. "ch" is retroflex — tongue curled back | |
| 米饭 | 3rd then 4th tone. "f" is like English "f" |
要 (yào) for ordering: 要 means "want/need/will". In restaurants: 我要一碗米饭 (Wǒ yào yī wǎn mǐfàn) — I want one bowl of rice. The measure word 碗(wǎn) means "bowl".
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