Food in Chinese
The Chinese word for "food" is 食物 (shí wù). Below are 73 Chinese words for food, each with pinyin, English and its level in the new HSK 3.0 word list. They cover HSK 1 to HSK 7-9, in the order a learner meets them.
The 14 words to learn first
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 米饭 | mǐ fàn | cooked rice | 1 |
| 面条儿 | miàn tiáor | noodles | 1 |
| 饺子 | jiǎo zi | dumpling | 1 |
| 包子 | bāo zi | steamed stuffed bun | 1 |
| 面包 | miàn bāo | bread | 1 |
| 鸡蛋 | jī dàn | egg | 1 |
| 肉 | ròu | meat | 2 |
| 鱼 | yú | fish | 2 |
| 水果 | shuǐ guǒ | fruit | 1 |
| 蔬菜 | shū cài | vegetables | 5 |
| 汤 | tāng | soup; broth | 4 |
| 茶 | chá | tea | 1 |
| 咖啡 | kā fēi | coffee | 2 |
| 牛奶 | niú nǎi | milk | 1 |
Food, Drink and Eating HSK 1 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 菜 | cài | dish (type of food) | 1 |
| 苹果 | píng guǒ | apple | 1 |
| 水 | shuǐ | water | 1 |
| 喝 | hē | to drink | 1 |
| 吃 | chī | to eat; to consume | 1 |
Meals and Places HSK 1 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 早饭 | zǎo fàn | breakfast | 1 |
| 午饭 | wǔ fàn | lunch | 1 |
| 晚饭 | wǎn fàn | dinner | 1 |
| 做饭 | zuò fàn | to cook; to make a meal | 1 |
| 饭店 | fàn diàn | restaurant (also: hotel) | 1 |
| 书店 | shū diàn | bookshop | 1 |
| 电影院 | diàn yǐng yuàn | cinema; movie theater | 1 |
Food and Drink HSK 2 lesson
Food, Drink & Dining HSK 3 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 菜单 | cài dān | menu | 3 |
| 蛋糕 | dàn gāo | cake | 3 |
| 面条 | miàn tiáo | noodles | – |
| 果汁 | guǒ zhī | fruit juice | 4 |
| 葡萄 | pú tao | grape | 4 |
| 香蕉 | xiāng jiāo | banana | 3 |
| 糖 | táng | sugar | 3 |
| 啤酒 | pí jiǔ | beer (loanword) | 3 |
| 饱 | bǎo | full (after eating) | 3 |
| 饿 | è | to be hungry | 3 |
| 渴 | kě | thirsty | 3 |
| 甜 | tián | sweet | 3 |
Food & flavors HSK 4 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 味道 | wèi dao | flavor; taste | 4 |
| 咸 | xián | salty | 4 |
| 辣 | là | hot (spicy); pungent; (of chili pepper, raw onions etc) to sting | 4 |
| 酸 | suān | sour | 4 |
| 苦 | kǔ | bitter | 4 |
| 尝 | cháng | to taste; to try (food) | 3 |
| 饮料 | yǐn liào | drink | 3 |
| 食品 | shí pǐn | foodstuff; food; provisions | 4 |
| 饼干 | bǐng gān | biscuit; cracker; cookie | 4 |
| 巧克力 | qiǎo kè lì | chocolate (loanword) | 4 |
Dining & social customs HSK 4 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 干杯 | gān bēi | to drink a toast | 4 |
| 请客 | qǐng kè | to give a dinner party | 3 |
| 西红柿 | xī hóng shì | tomato | 4 |
| 盐 | yán | salt | 4 |
| 香 | xiāng | fragrant | 4 |
| 热闹 | rè nao | bustling with noise and excitement | 4 |
| 约会 | yuē huì | appointment | 4 |
| 笑话 | xiào hua | joke; jest | 4 |
| 礼貌 | lǐ mào | courtesy; politeness; manners | 4 |
| 友好 | yǒu hǎo | friendly; amicable | 4 |
Food, Cooking & Cuisine HSK 5 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 炒 | chǎo | to sauté | 5 |
| 醋 | cù | vinegar | 6 |
| 点心 | diǎn xin | light refreshments | 5 |
| 豆腐 | dòu fu | tofu | 5 |
| 花生 | huā shēng | peanut | 6 |
| 黄瓜 | huáng guā | cucumber | 5 |
| 煎 | jiān | to pan fry | 7-9 |
| 酱油 | jiàng yóu | soy sauce | 6 |
| 烤鸭 | kǎo yā | roast duck | – |
| 辣椒 | là jiāo | hot pepper | 6 |
| 馒头 | mán tou | steamed roll | 4 |
Every word links to its dictionary entry, with audio, example sentences and stroke order. The words are grouped by the GraphChinese lesson that teaches them, so a few in each group belong to the lesson and sit a little outside the topic.
More topics:
- family
- numbers
- colors
- body parts
- emotions and feelings
- weather
- clothes
- health and illness
- time words
- places
- transport and travel
- school
- jobs and work
- sports and hobbies
- nature and animals
- shopping and money
- directions
- greetings and everyday phrases
- pronouns
- measure words
- house and home
- everyday verbs
- personality
- technology
- business
- conjunctions
- entertainment and the arts
- festivals and holidays
- communication
- All topics
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "food" in Chinese?
食物 (shí wù), meaning "food". The most common words in this topic are 米饭 (mǐ fàn, cooked rice), 面条儿 (miàn tiáor, noodles), 饺子 (jiǎo zi, dumpling), 包子 (bāo zi, steamed stuffed bun).
How many Chinese words for food do I need?
This page lists 73, from HSK 1 to HSK 7-9. The 14 at the top are enough to start; the rest follow level by level.
What do the HSK levels on this page mean?
Each word shows where the new HSK 3.0 word list places it, from level 1 to the 7-9 band. A dash means the word is taught in the course and is not on the HSK 3.0 list. HSK 3.0, complete.
How do I pronounce these words?
The pinyin beside each word gives the sound and the tone. Each word links to its dictionary entry, where you can hear it. If the tone marks are new to you, start with the four tones, explained.
GraphChinese teaches these words in dependency order, with audio, and only moves on when each one is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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