请给我看一下菜单。
Cheeng gay waw kahn yee-shyah tsigh-dahn
May I see the menu, please?
Use this when a menu has not been brought to the table.
Eating in China
Chinese restaurant phrases you can use at the table.
Point to the item when you can, keep the sentence short, and let the Chinese text do the work if the room is noisy.
Ready to use
Phrases for this moment
Use these in restaurants, food courts and small local shops. A friendly tone and a quick 谢谢 go a long way.
The English sound line is approximate; use Show Pinyin for standard tone marks. * marks Mandarin ü (start with “ee” and round your lips). Open MandaPanda for audio practice.
我要这个。
Waw yaow juh-guh
I’d like this one.
Point to a menu item or photo as you say it.
这个辣吗？
Juh-guh lah mah
Is this spicy?
Ask before ordering when the menu does not show the spice level.
不要辣，谢谢。
Boo yaow lah, shyeh-shyeh
Not spicy, please.
Say this while pointing to the dish you are ordering.
请给我一瓶水。
Cheeng gay waw ee ping shway
A bottle of water, please.
This asks specifically for one bottle of water.
可以打包吗？
Kuh-yee dah-baow mah
Can I get this to go?
Use this for takeaway or to pack leftovers.
麻烦结账。
Mah-fahn jyeh-jahng
The bill, please.
A natural way to ask staff to bring or settle the bill.
谢谢。
Shyeh-shyeh
Thank you.
Useful with staff throughout the meal.
Practice before you go
Hear it. Say it. Remember it.
Use these phrases now, then practice travel Mandarin step by step in MandaPanda.
Download on the App Store