Chinese food & drink vocabulary: order, eat, and pay
Restaurants, ingredients, flavors and ordering food.
Editorial: Javier Garcia Floriano · Contact
Founder of Chinese Trainer. These lists come from the app's HSK inventory (hanzi, pinyin, band), not from an official exam PDF.
You do not need 129 words to eat in China. With 吃, 饭, 水, 菜单, 这个 and 多少钱 you can point, order, and pay at HSK 1. This page keeps the food and drink list (meals, flavors, places, takeaway), drops the water / diving / gym noise that keyword matching dragged in, and shows the measure words waiters expect. Chinese Trainer tags each row with HSK and the same words feed SRS in the app. Save the HSK 1–2 rows first and add the rest when you can already order without English.
Key takeaways
- Start with 吃, 饭, 水, 菜单 and 多少钱 — enough to eat today at HSK 1.
- Food words almost always need a measure word (碗, 杯, 份, 瓶). Do not say 两个水.
- 外卖 and 堂食 matter more in China than “restaurant vs café”.
- Waiters understand 这个, 不要辣 and 打包 long before a speech about the menu.
- This list is this site's inventory, not a scan of an official exam paper.
How to use these words
The typical scene is not a banquet. It is a 面馆, a 路边摊, or a 外卖 app at 13:00. You walk in, point, say 要这个, and pay with a QR code. Useful vocabulary is whatever fits that chain: hunger, dish, flavor, bill.
Learn table verbs first: 吃, 喝, 点, 买单, 打包. Then the nouns a waiter hears a thousand times a day: 米饭, 面条, 菜, 汤, 肉, 鱼, 啤酒, 茶. Flavors (辣, 甜, 咸) save you when the plate does not match the photo. 不要香菜 and 微辣 beat memorizing ten pork cuts at HSK 5.
Table water in China is often 热水, not a jug of ice. You have to ask for 冰的. If you eat with people, 我请客 and AA制 change the end of the meal more than any dish name. Do not memorize 膳食纤维 or a condiment's scientific name yet: they will not appear at the 沙县小吃 window.
How this list was built
The published count is 119 rows for this situation after exclusions, not the raw keyword match. We checked this inventory against the HSK bands on chinesetest.cn. HSK is the level tagged on each row. Chinese Trainer is the app whose SRS uses the same rows. Chinese food vocabulary is the situation this page teaches.
Word list
119 words in this topic (cleaned list) · HSK 1–4
Ordering and paying
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 外卖 | wàimài | to provide a takeout or home delivery meal |
| 2 | 菜单 | càidān | menu |
2 words · Practice them in the app
Meals of the day
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 吃 | chī | to eat |
| 1 | 午饭 | wǔfàn | lunch |
| 1 | 吃饭 | chīfàn | to have a meal |
| 1 | 早饭 | zǎofàn | breakfast |
| 1 | 晚饭 | wǎnfàn | evening meal |
| 2 | 食 | shí | food |
| 2 | 饱 | bǎo | satisfied |
| 2 | 中餐 | zhōngcān | lunch |
| 2 | 午餐 | wǔcān | lunch |
| 2 | 早餐 | zǎocān | breakfast |
| 2 | 晚餐 | wǎncān | evening meal |
| 5 | 饮食 | yǐnshí | eating and drinking |
| 7 | 吃不上 | chī bushàng | to miss a meal |
| 7 | 吃喝玩乐 | chī-hē-wán-lè | to eat |
| 7 | 垫底 | diàndǐ | to put something on the bottom |
| 7 | 就餐 | jiùcān | to dine |
| 7 | 年夜饭 | niányèfàn | reunion dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve |
| 7 | 用餐 | yòngcān | to eat a meal |
| 7 | 素食 | sùshí | vegetarian food |
| 7 | 风餐露宿 | fēngcān-lùsù | lit. to eat in the open air and sleep outdoors |
| 7 | 餐桌 | cānzhuō | dining table |
21 words · Practice them in the app
Drinks
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 1 | 茶 | chá | tea |
| 3 | 咖 | kā | coffee |
| 3 | 啤 | pí | beer |
| 3 | 汤 | tāng / shāng | soup |
| 3 | 苹 | píng | apple |
| 3 | 凉水 | liángshuǐ | cool water |
| 3 | 咖啡 | kāfēi | coffee |
| 3 | 啤酒 | píjiǔ | beer |
| 3 | 奶茶 | nǎichá | milk tea |
| 3 | 红茶 | hóngchá | black tea |
| 3 | 绿茶 | lǜchá | green tea |
| 4 | 开水 | kāishuǐ | boiled water |
| 4 | 矿泉水 | kuàngquánshuǐ | mineral water |
| 4 | 纯净水 | chúnjìngshuǐ | purified water |
| 4 | 茶叶 | cháyè | tea |
| 5 | 饮料 | yǐnliào | drink |
| 6 | 冷水 | lěngshuǐ | cold water |
| 6 | 热水 | rèshuǐ | hot water |
| 7 | 煎 | jiān | to fry in fat or oil |
| 7 | 休想 | xiūxiǎng | don't think |
| 7 | 别看 | biékàn | don't be fooled by the fact that |
| 7 | 放水 | fàngshuǐ | to turn on the water |
| 7 | 水域 | shuǐyù | waters |
| 7 | 水温 | shuǐwēn | water temperature |
| 7 | 水源 | shuǐyuán | water source |
| 7 | 水管 | shuǐguǎn | water pipe |
| 7 | 水落石出 | shuǐluò-shíchū | as the water recedes |
| 7 | 水面 | shuǐmiàn | water surface |
| 7 | 汪洋 | wāngyáng | vast body of water |
| 7 | 泼冷水 | pō lěngshuǐ | to pour cold water on |
| 7 | 流水 | liúshuǐ | running water |
| 7 | 节水 | jiéshuǐ | to save water |
| 7 | 茶馆儿 | cháguǎnr | teahouse |
| 7 | 饮水 | yǐn shuǐ | to give water |
| 7 | 饮用水 | yǐnyòngshuǐ | drinking water |
36 words · Practice them in the app
Flavors
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 甜 | tián | sweet |
| 3 | 苦 | kǔ | amargo |
| 4 | 咸 | xián | all |
| 4 | 辣 | là | pimienta |
| 4 | 酸 | suān | tart |
| 7 | 甘 | gān | sweet |
| 7 | 蜜 | mì | honey |
| 7 | 喜糖 | xǐtáng | sweet given on a happy occasion |
| 7 | 悦耳 | yuè'ěr | sweet-sounding |
9 words · Practice them in the app
Places to eat
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 饭馆 | fànguǎn | restaurant |
| 5 | 餐馆 | cānguǎn | restaurant |
| 7 | 酒楼 | jiǔlóu | restaurant |
3 words · Practice them in the app
Street food and takeaway
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 小吃 | xiǎochī | street food |
1 words · Practice them in the app
Other words in this topic
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 果 | guǒ | fruit |
| 1 | 米 | mǐ | rice |
| 1 | 肉 | ròu | meat |
| 1 | 饭 | fàn | meal |
| 1 | 水果 | shuǐguǒ | fruit |
| 1 | 米饭 | mǐfàn | rice |
| 1 | 面包 | miànbāo | bread |
| 1 | 面条儿 | miàntiáor | noodles |
| 2 | 碗 | wǎn | bowl |
| 2 | 鱼 | yú | fish |
| 2 | 快餐 | kuàicān | fast food |
| 2 | 方便面 | fāngbiànmiàn | instant noodles |
| 2 | 筷子 | kuàizi | chopsticks |
| 2 | 西餐 | xīcān | Western-style food |
| 2 | 食物 | shíwù | food |
| 3 | 美食 | měishí | culinary delicacy |
| 3 | 食品 | shípǐn | foodstuff |
| 4 | 粮 | liáng | food |
| 4 | 鲜 | xiān / xiǎn | fresh |
| 4 | 套餐 | tàocān | set meal |
| 5 | 锅 | guō | cooking-pot |
| 5 | 饼 | bǐng | rice-cake |
| 5 | 烤肉 | kǎoròu | barbecued meat |
| 5 | 电饭锅 | diànfànguō | electric rice cooker |
| 5 | 白酒 | báijiǔ | baijiu |
| 5 | 盒饭 | héfàn | meal in a partitioned box |
| 5 | 过敏 | guòmǐn | allergic |
| 6 | 大米 | dàmǐ | rice |
| 7 | 熏 | xūn | to smoke |
| 7 | 秧 | yāng | shoots |
| 7 | 稻 | dào | rice plant |
| 7 | 粽 | zòng | a dumpling made of glutinous rice |
| 7 | 糙 | cāo | coarse |
| 7 | 腥 | xīng | fishy |
| 7 | 蒂 | dì | root cause |
| 7 | 陌 | mò | strange |
| 7 | 饥 | jī | hungry |
| 7 | 便饭 | biànfàn | an ordinary meal |
| 7 | 忍饥挨饿 | rěnjī-ái'è | starving |
| 7 | 稻草 | dàocǎo | rice straw |
| 7 | 粉丝 | fěnsī | bean vermicelli |
| 7 | 美味 | měiwèi | delicious |
| 7 | 肌肤 | jīfū | skin |
| 7 | 膳食 | shànshí | meals |
| 7 | 节衣缩食 | jiéyī-suōshí | to save on food and clothing |
| 7 | 野炊 | yěchuī | to cook a meal o campfire |
| 7 | 饥饿 | jī'è | hambre |
47 words · Practice them in the app
Example sentences
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我要这个。 | Wǒ yào zhège. | I want this one. |
| 有菜单吗？ | Yǒu càidān ma? | Do you have a menu? |
| 不要辣，少油。 | Bú yào là, shǎo yóu. | No chilli, less oil. |
| 来一碗米饭。 | Lái yì wǎn mǐfàn. | One bowl of rice, please. |
| 两杯水，一杯热的。 | Liǎng bēi shuǐ, yì bēi rède. | Two glasses of water, one hot. |
| 这个多少钱？ | Zhège duōshao qián? | How much is this? |
| 买单，可以扫码吗？ | Mǎidān, kěyǐ sǎo mǎ ma? | The bill — can I pay by QR? |
| 打包，不要香菜。 | Dǎbāo, bú yào xiāngcài. | Takeaway, no coriander. |
| 我吃素。 | Wǒ chī sù. | I eat vegetarian. |
| 有点咸，再来一碗汤。 | Yǒudiǎn xián, zài lái yì wǎn tāng. | A bit salty — another bowl of soup. |
Dialogue: a noodle stall at lunch
Only words from this list. The customer points; the stall does not speak English.
| Speaker | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stall | 吃什么？ | Chī shénme? | What are you eating? |
| You | 一碗面条，不要辣。 | Yì wǎn miàntiáo, bú yào là. | One bowl of noodles, no chilli. |
| Stall | 加肉吗？ | Jiā ròu ma? | Add meat? |
| You | 加点肉。再来一杯茶。 | Jiā diǎn ròu. Zài lái yì bēi chá. | A bit of meat. And a tea. |
| Stall | 好。十二块。 | Hǎo. Shí'èr kuài. | OK. Twelve kuai. |
| You | 可以扫码吗？ | Kěyǐ sǎo mǎ ma? | Can I scan to pay? |
| Stall | 可以。打包吗？ | Kěyǐ. Dǎbāo ma? | Yes. Takeaway? |
| You | 不，在这儿吃。谢谢。 | Bù, zài zhèr chī. Xièxie. | No, I'll eat here. Thanks. |
Measure words for this topic
At the table, 个 is almost never the right measure word for what is in front of you. 碗 for rice, noodles and soup. 杯 for tea, coffee and water. 瓶 for beer and soft drinks. 份 for a plated portion. 盘 if it comes on a tray. 双 for chopsticks. 两个水 sounds like two abstract units of water, not two glasses.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 两个水 | 两杯水 | Water in a glass takes 杯, not 个. |
| 饭 when you mean plain rice | 米饭 | 饭 can mean 'a meal'. For the grain, say 米饭. |
| 菜单 as the act of ordering | 点菜 | 菜单 is the paper. 点菜 is the act. |
| Asking for ice water by default | 冰水 / 冰的 | Many places bring 热水 unless you ask for cold. |
| 好吃吗？ to the cook as a real question | 有点辣 / 有点咸 | Describe the dish. 好吃吗 is often just social filler. |
FAQ
How many food words do I need to order in a Chinese restaurant?
Fifteen to twenty-five HSK 1–2 words (table verbs, 这个, 米饭, 面, 水, 茶, 多少钱, 不要) are enough to order. The rest of this list is for reading a menu and talking about flavor, not for your first lunch.
Which HSK level is enough to eat without English?
HSK 2 gets you through a stall if you point. HSK 3–4 lets you read more dishes and ask for changes (少辣, 打包). Nobody asks for HSK 6 at a 拉面 window.
What is the difference between 饭 and 米饭?
米饭 is cooked rice. 饭 also means a meal, or 'I've eaten' (吃饭了). In a specific order, 米饭 avoids the mix-up.
How do I practice this list?
Save the HSK 1–2 rows to Chinese Trainer SRS and say the dialogue out loud before you go out. Do not add 40 new words the same day: the stall will not wait.
Why do they bring hot water in China?
Drinking 热水 is the default habit in many canteens. If you want it cold, say 冰的 or 冰水. The other cultural detail is the WeChat Pay or Alipay QR: bring the phone, not only cash.
Practice in the app
The same rows on this page feed Chinese Trainer SRS flashcards. Start HSK 1–2 free, save food, and run today's deck before the next 外卖.