Chinese restaurant menus can sometimes be difficult to understand, especially if they are only written in Chinese.
This page provides useful Chinese phrases for asking about dishes, ingredients, and recommendations.
These phrases will help you understand the menu and choose food more confidently.
🍽 What is this dish?
Chinese: 这是什么菜？
Pinyin: zhè shì shén me cài
English: What is this dish?
🔊 Play Audio
💬 Example:
A: Excuse me, what is this dish?
A: 请问，这是什么菜？
B: It’s braised pork with brown sauce.
B: 这是红烧肉。
💡 Tip:
Use this when you see an unfamiliar name on the menu and want to know the dish name.
🍽 What is inside this?
Chinese: 这里面有什么食材？
Pinyin: zhè lǐ miàn yǒu shén me shí cái
English: What is inside this?
🔊 Play Audio
💬 Example:
A: What is inside this soup?
A: 这份汤里面有什么？
B: There are mushrooms, tofu and vegetables.
B: 里面有香菇、豆腐和青菜。
💡 Tip:
Ask the server this to check ingredients for allergies or dietary preferences.
🍽 Is this spicy?
Chinese: 这个菜辣吗？
Pinyin: zhè ge cài là ma
English: Is this spicy?
🔊 Play Audio
💬 Example:
A: Is this spicy? I can’t eat chili.
A: 这个菜辣吗？我不能吃辣。
B: A little mild spicy, we can make it non-spicy for you.
B: 微微辣，我们可以给您做成不辣的。
💡 Tip:
Ask this question if you are sensitive to spicy taste.
🍽 Is this vegetarian?
Chinese: 这个是素菜吗？
Pinyin: zhè ge shì sù cài ma
English: Is this vegetarian?
🔊 Play Audio
💬 Example:
A: Is this vegetarian? I don’t eat meat.
A: 这个是素菜吗？我不吃肉。
B: Yes, there are only fresh vegetables in it.
B: 是的，里面只有新鲜蔬菜。
💡 Tip:
Suitable for vegetarians to confirm whether the dish contains meat, eggs or seafood.
🍽 What is the most popular dish?
Chinese: 店里最受欢迎的菜是什么？
Pinyin: diàn lǐ zuì shòu huān yíng de cài shì shén me
English: What is the most popular dish?
🔊 Play Audio
💬 Example:
A: What is the most popular dish here?
A: 你们店里最受欢迎的菜是什么？
B: Our fried chicken is the best seller.
B: 我们的炸鸡是招牌爆款。
💡 Tip:
Ask this when you have no idea what to order and want customers’ top choice.
🍽 Can I see pictures?
Chinese: 可以给我看看菜品图片吗？
Pinyin: kě yǐ gěi wǒ kàn kàn cài pǐn tú piàn ma
English: Can I see pictures?
🔊 Play Audio
💬 Example:
A: Can I see pictures of this dish?
A: 我能看看这道菜的图片吗？
B: Sure, here is our picture menu.
B: 没问题，这是带图菜单。
💡 Tip:
Use this when the menu only has words and you want to check what the food looks like.
🍽 I don’t understand.
Chinese: 我听不懂 / 我看不懂。
Pinyin: wǒ tīng bù dǒng / wǒ kàn bù dǒng
English: I don’t understand.
🔊 Play Audio
💬 Example:
A: Sorry, I don’t understand. Could you speak slowly?
A: 不好意思，我听不懂，你能说慢一点吗？
B: No problem, I will explain it simply.
B: 没关系，我简单跟您说明。
💡 Tip:
Say this when you fail to catch the waiter’s words or read menu words.
Travel Tip
If you do not understand the menu in China, do not worry.
Most restaurants are used to foreign visitors and may show pictures or recommend dishes directly.
Pointing at the menu and using simple phrases is usually enough.