Learning Chinese Food Vocabulary for Kids and Beginners

This series of posts introduce Chinese vocabulary on various topics of food as following:

🥗 Common Food Vocabulary
🍎 Fruit
🥦 Vegetable
🌭 Fast Food
🥛 Beverage
🎂 Dessert
🥟 Chinese Food

Food is not just sustenance; it’s a celebration of culture and flavor. For Chinese people, food is more than its necessity to feed us. It provides joy, serves as a medium to entertain, to connect and to unite. In Chinese, a common greeting is “吃了吗？(Chīle ma?Did you eat?)” When friends meet in the street, they would invite each other “一起去吃顿饭吧！（Yīqǐ qù chī dùn fàn ba!　Let’s go and have a meal together!)”

What are the common food in China?

In China, people eat 3 meals (早餐，晚餐，晚餐) a day, sometimes maybe an additional snack at night (夜宵）. They also follow certain order of servings such as appetizer, main dish, side dish, dessert, etc. at a meal. There are some unique food Chinese people love. And if you like Chinese food, probably you know some of these already too.

点心 (diǎn xīn) – Dim Sum
点心 are bite-sized Chinese dishes often enjoyed during yum cha (tea time).

包子 (bāozi) – Baozi
包子 are fluffy steamed buns filled with various fillings, such as meat or vegetables.

饺子 (jiǎozi) – Dumpling
饺子are small pockets of dough filled with meat, vegetables, or seafood.

花卷 (huā juǎn) – Rol
花卷 are soft, rolled buns that can be enjoyed with various dishes.

粥 (zhōu) – Congee Rice Porridge
粥 is a comforting rice porridge often served as breakfast or when feeling under the weather.

油条 (yóutiáo) – Long Fried Dough
油条 are deep-fried dough sticks, perfect for dipping in congee or soy milk.

春卷 (chūn juǎn) – Spring Roll
春卷 are crispy rolls filled with vegetables, meat, or seafood.

饼 (bǐng) – Pie
饼 can be savory (like meat pies) or sweet (like fruit pies).

米饭 (mǐ fàn) – Rice
米饭 is the staple food of China, enjoyed with various dishes.

炒饭 (chǎo fàn) – Fried Rice
炒饭 is a popular dish made by stir-frying rice with vegetables and meat.

面条 (miàn tiáo) – Noodles
面条 come in various shapes and sizes, perfect for soups or stir-fries.

拉面 (lā miàn) – Pulled Noodles
拉面 are hand-pulled noodles, often served in savory broths.

汤圆 (tāng yuán) – Tangyuan
汤圆, known as “tāng yuán,” are sweet rice dumplings often enjoyed during the Lantern Festival.

蛋挞 (dàn tà) – Egg Tart
蛋挞 are delicious custard tarts with a flaky crust.

粽子 (zòngzi) – Zongzi
粽子, or Zongzi, are pyramid-shaped rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, commonly eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival.

月饼 (yuè bǐng) – Mooncake
月饼 are traditional round pastries filled with sweet or savory fillings, enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

云吞 (yún tūn) – Wonton
云吞 are small, filled dumplings typically served in a clear broth.

麻花 (má huā) – Fried Dough
麻花 are twisted, deep-fried dough snacks often coated with sesame seeds.

火锅 (huǒ guō) – Hot Pot
火锅 is a communal meal where ingredients are cooked in a simmering pot of flavorful broth.

茶 (chá) – Chinese Tea
茶 is an essential part of Chinese culture, with various types and flavors to explore.

Learn the Words by Watching a Video

Youtube video:https://youtu.be/BZB89rJZEus

Sample Sentences Using Chinese Food Words

Now let’s have a look at some sentences. Pay attention to the food.

妈妈今天包了很多包子。
Māmā jīntiān bāole hěnduō bāozi.
Mom made many baozi today.

我喜欢吃饺子，尤其是猪肉饺子。
Wǒ xǐhuān chī jiǎozi, yóuqí shì zhūròu jiǎozi.
I like dumplings, especially pork dumplings.

粥是我生病时的最爱。
Zhōu shì wǒ shēngbìng shí de zuì’ài.
Congee is my favorite when I’m sick.

我们家常常吃油条和豆浆。
Wǒmen jiā chángcháng chī yóutiáo hé dòu jiāng.
In our family, we often eat fried dough sticks and soy milk.

汤圆是冬天最好吃的甜点之一。
Tāng yuán shì dōngtiān zuì hǎo chī de tiándiǎn zhī yī.
Tangyuan is one of the best desserts to eat in winter.

Vocabulary Flashcards

The best way to learn the vocabulary for Chinese food is using flashcards, esp. 3-part flashcards: they provide images as well as Chinese with and without pinyin. In combination, they provide various ways of learning the words.  You can get Chinese Food Chinese Learning Montessori 3-Part flash cards in our shop.

Learning the Chinese vocabulary for Chinese food is not only delicious but also a fantastic way to connect with Chinese culture. So, grab your chopsticks and embark on this tasty adventure!

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