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The Ultimate Chinese Food Vocabulary List

If you’re tired of ordering the same dishes at Chinese restaurants, then it might be time to expand your palate and food vocabulary. 

We’ve compiled the ultimate vocabulary list for Chinese dishes to help spice up your next plate, from dumplings to braised duck.

家禽类 (jiā qín lèi) — Poultry

man smelling a roast chicken on white background

ChinesePinyinEnglish
醉鸡 zuì jīDrunken Chicken
芋艿清汤鸭 yù nǎi qīng tāng yāDuck with Taro Soup
上海酱鸭 shàng hǎi jiàng yāShanghai Style Braised Duck in Red Rice Sauce
斋香素烧鹅 zhāi xiāng sù shāo éVegetarian Goose with Tofu Stew
艳香烧贵妃鸡 yàn xiāng shāo guì fēi jīChicken Wings and Legs with Brown Sauce and Red Wine

猪肉类 (zhū ròu lèi) — Pork

braised pork with veggies Chinese cuisine

ChinesePinyinEnglish
走油蹄髈 zǒu yóu tí pangBraised Pig's Knuckle in Brown Sauce
凉拌腰片 liáng bàn yāo piànSliced Pork Kidney with Celery
八宝辣酱 bā bǎo là jiàngEight Delicacies in Hot Sauce
白切肉 bái qiē ròuBoiled Pork Slices
彩色里脊丝 cǎi sè lǐ ji sīShredded Pork Fillet with Vegetables
辣酱肉末烧海带 là jiàng ròu mò shāo hǎi dàiSeaweed Stew with Minced Pork in Spicy Sauce
多味腰花 duō wèi yāo huāThree Flavor Pork Kidney
竹笋烧咸肉 zhú sǔn shāo xián ròuBacon Stew with Bamboo Shoots
菜心狮子头 cài xīn shī zi tóuMeatball Stew with Choy Sum/Cabbage Heart

鱼类 (yú lèi) — Fish

fish and seafood arrangement on black stone background

ChinesePinyinEnglish
老上海熏鱼 lǎo shàng hǎi xūn yúSmoked Fish Shanghai Style
红烧鱼块 hóng shāo yú kuàiBraised Fish in Brown Sauce/Soy Based Brown Sauce
锅烧河鳗 guō shāo hé mánBraised River Eel
墨鱼大烤 mò yú dà kǎoStewed Cuttlefish
豆瓣鳝糊 dòu bàn shàn hùEel in Chili Bean Sauce
红烧划水 hóng shāo huá shuǐBraised Grass Carp Tail with Brown Sauce
粉皮烧鱼头 fěn pí shāo yú tóuBraised Fish Head with Flat Noodles
上海蒸鱼 shàng hǎi zhēng yúShanghai Steamed Fish
小黄鱼烩豆腐 xiǎo huáng yú huì dòu fuSmall Yellow Croaker Fish Stew with Tofu
蒜苗炒鱿鱼 suàn miáo chǎo yóu yúFried Squid with Garlic Sprouts
过桥鲈鱼 ɡuò qiáo lú yúSliced Bass in Soup
红烧塘鲤鱼 hóng shāo táng lǐ yúBraised Pond Carp in Brown Sauce
干贝鱼冻 ɡān bèi yú dòngFish Aspic with Scallops

虾类 (xiā lèi) — Shrimp

cooked srhimp on a bed of lettuce

ChinesePinyinEnglish
油爆河虾 yóu bào hé xiāDeep-fried Shrimp
水晶虾仁 shuǐ jīng xiā rénSautéed Shelled Shrimp
杞子醉虾 qǐ zǐ zuì xiāDrunken Shrimp with Goji Berries

蟹类 (xiè lèi) — Crab

steamed blue crabs on lettuce and lemon

ChinesePinyinEnglish
上海醉蟹 shàng hǎi zuì xièShanghai Drunken Crab/Shanghai Liquor-Soaked Crab
清蒸螃蟹 qīng zhēng páng xièSteamed Crab

素菜 (sù cài) — Vegetable Dishes

pile of vegetables on a white background

ChinesePinyinEnglish
香菇面筋 xiāng gū miàn jīnMushrooms with Soy Puffs
芝麻贡菜 zhī ma gòng càiIvy Mosses with Sesame
油焖春笋 yóu mèn chūn sǔnBraised Bamboo Shoots in Soy Sauce
尖椒炒茄子 jiān jiāo chǎo qié ziStir Fried Eggplant with Jalapeño
荸荠炒冬菇 bí qi chǎo dōng gūStir Fried Water Chestnuts with Mushrooms
雪菜冬笋 xuě cài dōng sǔnStir Fried Pickled Cabbage and Winter Bamboo Shoots
干煸扁豆ɡān biān biǎn dòuDry-Fried French Beans

汤、煲、羹、粥 (tāng, bāo, gēng, zhōu) — Soups, Pots, Congee

yellow and orange soup in a bowl

ChinesePinyinEnglish
核桃羹 hé tao gēngSweet Walnut Soup
海鲜豆腐煲 hǎi xiān dòu fu bāoStewed Seafood with Tofu en Casserole
江南老鸭汤 jiāng nán lǎo yā tāngSouthern Yangtze Duck Soup
桂花糖粥 guì huā táng zhōuSweet Osmanthus Congee
风味鸡粥 fēng wèi jī zhōuSpecial Flavor Chicken Porridge
桂花莲子羹 guì huā lián zǐ gēngLotus Seed Congee with Osmanthus
竹笋咸腿老鸭砂锅 zhú sǔn xián tuǐ lǎo yā shā guōDuck Stew with Bacon and Bamboo Shoots
芋艿排骨煲 yù nǎi pái gǔ bāoPork Rib Stew with Taro
咖喱牛肉汤 gā lí niú ròu tāngCurry Beef Soup

面食 (miàn shí) — Wheat Dishes

flour and wheat in a spoon on a table

ChinesePinyinEnglish
荠菜肉馄饨 jì cài ròu hún tunPork and Shepherd's Purse Wontons
干贝冬瓜球 ɡān bèi dōng guā qiúWinter Gourd Balls Stew with Scallops
香蕉海鲜卷 xiāng jiāo hǎi xiān juǎnFried Banana Roll Stuffed with Seafood
鲜肉汤团 xiān ròu tāng tuánPork Glutinous Rice Balls
翡翠烧麦 fěi cuì shāo màiSteamed Open Dumplings/Sumai with Chinese Cabbage
芝麻球 zhī ma qiúSesame Balls
排骨年糕 pái gǔ nián gāoPork Chop with Rice Cake
蟹粉小笼包 xiè fěn xiǎo lóng bāoSteamed Buns with Crab Meat and Pork
叉烧 chā shāoChar Siu(Barbecued Roast Pork)

点心 (diǎn xīn) — Dimsum

steamed pork buns chinese dim sum

ChinesePinyinEnglish
饺子 jiăo ziDumplings
包子 bāo ziBuns
烧卖 shāo màiSiomai
虾饺 xiā jiăoHargaw
锅贴 guō tiēPotsticker
烧包 shāo bāoSiopao
馒头 mán touPlain steamed buns
肠粉 cháng fĕnRice rolls
粽子 zòng ziSticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf
凤爪 fèng zhǎoChicken feet
排骨 pái gŭSpareribs
萝卜糕 luó bo gāoRadish cake
芋角 yù jiăoTaro puff
蛋挞 dàn tàEgg 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. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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I hope these dishes can expand your Chinese food palette!

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 the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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