食堂
shítáng
In Chinese, cafeteria is translated as 食堂 (shítáng). Wiktionary also lists 餐廳 / 餐厅 (cāntīng) and 館子 / 馆子 (guǎnzi).
Meaning: dining area (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 食堂 | shítáng |
| 餐廳 / 餐厅 | cāntīng |
| 館子 / 馆子 | guǎnzi |
What does it mean word for word?
The word 食堂 is composed of 食 (eat/food) and 堂 (hall/large room).
Which one should you use?
食堂 specifically refers to institutional dining halls, such as those found in schools, factories or military bases. In contrast, 餐厅 is a more general term for a restaurant or a dining room and is used for more formal or commercial settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, 自助餐廳 can be used to denote a self-service cafeteria.
How do you pronounce it?
shítáng
Did you know?
- A student might say they are going to 吃食堂 (chī shí táng), which literally means 'to eat the cafeteria', a common way to describe the act of eating an institutional meal.
- The character 堂 in 食堂 originally referred to a main hall where ancestors were honored or official business was conducted, giving the word a sense of formality and scale.
- If you are looking for a high-end cafeteria style, you might see the term 自助餐 (zì zhù cān), which literally translates to 'self-help meal'.
Examples in context
- 我们在食堂见面吃午饭吧。Shall we meet at the cafeteria for lunch?
- 学校的食堂很大。Xuéxiào de shítáng hěn dà.The school cafeteria is very big.
- 我们去食堂吃午饭吧。Wǒmen qù shítáng chī wǔfàn ba.Let's go to the cafeteria for lunch.
- 这家食堂的菜很便宜。Zhè jiā shítáng de cài hěn piányí.The food in this cafeteria is very cheap.
Example conversation
Two students are deciding where to eat lunch at school.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，你想去哪儿吃饭？Hàorán, nǐ xiǎng qù nǎ'er chīfàn?Haoran, where do you want to eat?
- 浩然 Haoran我们去学校食堂吧。Wǒmen qù xuéxiào shítáng ba.Let's go to the school cafeteria.
- 雨婷 Yuting好啊，我也觉得那里很方便。Hǎo a, wǒ yě juéde nàlǐ hěn fāngbiàn.Okay, I also think it is very convenient there.
- 浩然 Haoran那我们现在就出发。Nà wǒmen xiànzài jiù chūfā.Then let's head out now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cafeteria” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
