餐具
cānjù
In Mandarin, cutlery is 餐具 (cānjù).
餐具 is a general collective noun that covers all types of eating tools, including chopsticks, spoons and forks. It can be translated as tableware.
Meaning: eating and serving utensils (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 餐 (cān), meaning 'to eat' or 'meal' and 具 (jù), meaning 'tool' or 'utensil'.
How do you pronounce it?
cānjù
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese culture, sticking your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice is a strict taboo because it resembles incense sticks offered to the dead.
- While 餐具 covers all utensils, if you are specifically looking for a fork, you would use the word 叉子, which is a phonetic loan from the English word 'fork'.
- The word 具 (jù) used in 餐具 is also found in the word for 'funeral equipment', showing that the character describes any specialized set of tools for a specific purpose.
Examples in context
- 这家饭馆的餐具很讲究This restaurant is particular about cutlery.This sentence shows how to describe a restaurant that is particular about its 餐具.Tatoeba #4832323 by sunflower, translation #4844613 by pig8322
- 请帮我拿一下餐具。Qǐng bāng wǒ ná yīxià cānjù.Please help me get the cutlery.
- 桌上的餐具已经摆好了。Zhuō shàng de cānjù yǐjīng bǎi hǎo le.The cutlery on the table is already set.
Example conversation
At a dining table, a woman asks a man for help.
- 欣怡 Xinyi俊杰，你能帮我拿一下餐具吗？Jùnjié, nǐ néng bāng wǒ ná yīxià cānjù ma?Junjie, can you help me get the cutlery?
- 俊杰 Junjie没问题，你要勺子还是筷子？Méi wèntí, nǐ yào sháozi háishì kuàizi?No problem, do you want a spoon or chopsticks?
- 欣怡 Xinyi都要，谢谢你。Dōu yào, xièxiè nǐ.Both, thank you.
- 俊杰 Junjie给你，欣怡。Gěi nǐ, Xīnyí.Here you go, Xinyi.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cutlery” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
