Alan Park
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The Ultimate Chinese Food Vocabulary List
Are you eating the same things all the time at Chinese restaurants?
Are your Chinese friends not impressed anymore when you order Chinese food?
If so, maybe it’s time you left your Chinese food ordering rut.
We’ve compiled the ultimate vocabulary list for Chinese cuisines to help spice up your next plate, from dumplings to braised duck.
Contents
- 家禽类 (jiā qín lèi) — Poultry
- 猪肉类 (zhū ròu lèi) — Pork
- 鱼类 (yú lèi) — Fish
- 虾类 (xiā lèi) — Shrimp
- 蟹类 (xiè lèi) — Crab
- 素菜 (sù cài) — Vegetable Dishes
- 汤、煲、羹、粥 (tāng, bāo, gēng, zhōu) — Soups, Pots, Congee
- 面食 (miàn shí) — Wheat Dishes
- 点心 (diǎn xīn) — Dimsum
- And One More Thing...
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
家禽类 (jiā qín lèi) — Poultry
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 醉鸡 | zuì jī | Drunken Chicken |
| 芋艿清汤鸭 | yù nǎi qīng tāng yā | Duck with Taro Soup |
| 上海酱鸭 | shàng hǎi jiàng yā | Shanghai Style Braised Duck in Red Rice Sauce |
| 斋香素烧鹅 | zhāi xiāng sù shāo é | Vegetarian Goose with Tofu Stew |
| 艳香烧贵妃鸡 | yàn xiāng shāo guì fēi jī | Chicken Wings and Legs with Brown Sauce and Red Wine |
猪肉类 (zhū ròu lèi) — Pork
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 走油蹄髈 | zǒu yóu tí pang | Braised Pig's Knuckle in Brown Sauce |
| 凉拌腰片 | liáng bàn yāo piàn | Sliced Pork Kidney with Celery |
| 八宝辣酱 | bā bǎo là jiàng | Eight Delicacies in Hot Sauce |
| 白切肉 | bái qiē ròu | Boiled Pork Slices |
| 彩色里脊丝 | cǎi sè lǐ ji sī | Shredded Pork Fillet with Vegetables |
| 辣酱肉末烧海带 | là jiàng ròu mò shāo hǎi dài | Seaweed Stew with Minced Pork in Spicy Sauce |
| 多味腰花 | duō wèi yāo huā | Three Flavor Pork Kidney |
| 竹笋烧咸肉 | zhú sǔn shāo xián ròu | Bacon Stew with Bamboo Shoots |
| 菜心狮子头 | cài xīn shī zi tóu | Meatball Stew with Choy Sum/Cabbage Heart |
鱼类 (yú lèi) — Fish
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 老上海熏鱼 | lǎo shàng hǎi xūn yú | Smoked Fish Shanghai Style |
| 红烧鱼块 | hóng shāo yú kuài | Braised Fish in Brown Sauce/Soy Based Brown Sauce |
| 锅烧河鳗 | guō shāo hé mán | Braised River Eel |
| 墨鱼大烤 | mò yú dà kǎo | Stewed Cuttlefish |
| 豆瓣鳝糊 | dòu bàn shàn hù | Eel in Chili Bean Sauce |
| 红烧划水 | hóng shāo huá shuǐ | Braised Grass Carp Tail with Brown Sauce |
| 粉皮烧鱼头 | fěn pí shāo yú tóu | Braised Fish Head with Flat Noodles |
| 上海蒸鱼 | shàng hǎi zhēng yú | Shanghai Steamed Fish |
| 小黄鱼烩豆腐 | xiǎo huáng yú huì dòu fu | Small Yellow Croaker Fish Stew with Tofu |
| 蒜苗炒鱿鱼 | suàn miáo chǎo yóu yú | Fried Squid with Garlic Sprouts |
| 过桥鲈鱼 | ɡuò qiáo lú yú | Sliced Bass in Soup |
| 红烧塘鲤鱼 | hóng shāo táng lǐ yú | Braised Pond Carp in Brown Sauce |
| 干贝鱼冻 | ɡān bèi yú dòng | Fish Aspic with Scallops |
虾类 (xiā lèi) — Shrimp
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 油爆河虾 | yóu bào hé xiā | Deep-fried Shrimp |
| 水晶虾仁 | shuǐ jīng xiā rén | Sautéed Shelled Shrimp |
| 杞子醉虾 | qǐ zǐ zuì xiā | Drunken Shrimp with Goji Berries |
蟹类 (xiè lèi) — Crab
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 上海醉蟹 | shàng hǎi zuì xiè | Shanghai Drunken Crab/Shanghai Liquor-Soaked Crab |
| 清蒸螃蟹 | qīng zhēng páng xiè | Steamed Crab |
素菜 (sù cài) — Vegetable Dishes
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 香菇面筋 | xiāng gū miàn jīn | Mushrooms with Soy Puffs |
| 芝麻贡菜 | zhī ma gòng cài | Ivy Mosses with Sesame |
| 油焖春笋 | yóu mèn chūn sǔn | Braised Bamboo Shoots in Soy Sauce |
| 尖椒炒茄子 | jiān jiāo chǎo qié zi | Stir Fried Eggplant with Jalapeño |
| 荸荠炒冬菇 | bí qi chǎo dōng gū | Stir Fried Water Chestnuts with Mushrooms |
| 雪菜冬笋 | xuě cài dōng sǔn | Stir Fried Pickled Cabbage and Winter Bamboo Shoots |
| 干煸扁豆 | ɡān biān biǎn dòu | Dry-Fried French Beans |
汤、煲、羹、粥 (tāng, bāo, gēng, zhōu) — Soups, Pots, Congee
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 核桃羹 | hé tao gēng | Sweet Walnut Soup |
| 海鲜豆腐煲 | hǎi xiān dòu fu bāo | Stewed Seafood with Tofu en Casserole |
| 江南老鸭汤 | jiāng nán lǎo yā tāng | Southern Yangtze Duck Soup |
| 桂花糖粥 | guì huā táng zhōu | Sweet Osmanthus Congee |
| 风味鸡粥 | fēng wèi jī zhōu | Special Flavor Chicken Porridge |
| 桂花莲子羹 | guì huā lián zǐ gēng | Lotus Seed Congee with Osmanthus |
| 竹笋咸腿老鸭砂锅 | zhú sǔn xián tuǐ lǎo yā shā guō | Duck Stew with Bacon and Bamboo Shoots |
| 芋艿排骨煲 | yù nǎi pái gǔ bāo | Pork Rib Stew with Taro |
| 咖喱牛肉汤 | gā lí niú ròu tāng | Curry Beef Soup |
面食 (miàn shí) — Wheat Dishes
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 荠菜肉馄饨 | jì cài ròu hún tun | Pork and Shepherd's Purse Wontons |
| 干贝冬瓜球 | ɡān bèi dōng guā qiú | Winter Gourd Balls Stew with Scallops |
| 香蕉海鲜卷 | xiāng jiāo hǎi xiān juǎn | Fried Banana Roll Stuffed with Seafood |
| 鲜肉汤团 | xiān ròu tāng tuán | Pork Glutinous Rice Balls |
| 翡翠烧麦 | fěi cuì shāo mài | Steamed Open Dumplings/Sumai with Chinese Cabbage |
| 芝麻球 | zhī ma qiú | Sesame Balls |
| 排骨年糕 | pái gǔ nián gāo | Pork Chop with Rice Cake |
| 蟹粉小笼包 | xiè fěn xiǎo lóng bāo | Steamed Buns with Crab Meat and Pork |
| 叉烧 | chā shāo | Char Siu(Barbecued Roast Pork) |
点心 (diǎn xīn) — Dimsum
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 饺子 | jiăo zi | Dumplings |
| 包子 | bāo zi | Buns |
| 烧卖 | shāo mài | Siomai |
| 虾饺 | xiā jiăo | Hargaw |
| 锅贴 | guō tiē | Potsticker |
| 烧包 | shāo bāo | Siopao |
| 馒头 | mán tou | Plain steamed buns |
| 肠粉 | cháng fĕn | Rice rolls |
| 粽子 | zòng zi | Sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf |
| 凤爪 | fèng zhǎo | Chicken feet |
| 排骨 | pái gŭ | Spareribs |
| 萝卜糕 | luó bo gāo | Radish cake |
| 芋角 | yù jiăo | Taro puff |
| 蛋挞 | dàn tà | Egg tart |
And there you have it—an in-depth list of Chinese food vocabulary. Some you probably see at every Chinese restaurant in America, while others you might have to venture to China to taste. You can also hear most of them in use naturally on FluentU.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
I hope these dishes can expand your Chinese food palette!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.
FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.
FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.
FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.
FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.
The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.
Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store.
