烤肉串
kǎoròu chuàn
In Chinese, kebab is 烤肉串 (kǎoròu chuàn). Wiktionary also lists 串燒 / 串烧 (chuànshāo) and 卡巴 (kǎbā).
Meaning: dish (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 烤肉串 | kǎoròu chuàn |
| 串燒 / 串烧 | chuànshāo |
| 卡巴 | kǎbā |
烤肉串 is the most common way to describe any type of grilled meat skewers in a general Chinese context. You can use the phrase 请给我一份烤肉串 to say "Please give me a kebab" or 请给我几种口味的烤肉串 to say "Please give me a few different flavors of kebabs."
What does it mean word for word?
The term 烤肉串 (kǎoròu chuàn) literally means 'roasted meat skewer'.
Which one should you use?
烤肉串 (kǎoròu chuàn) specifically refers to meat on a skewer, whereas 串烧 (chuànshāo) is a broader term for various types of skewered grilled foods. Additionally, 卡巴 (kǎbā) is a phonetic transliteration used specifically for Middle Eastern style kebabs.
How do you pronounce it?
kǎoròu chuàn
Did you know?
- In some Chinese dialects, the word for 'skewer' or 'pierce' used in 烤肉串 is the same word used for the act of threading beads onto a string.
- In many Chinese cities, 烤肉串 are traditionally sold at night markets and are considered a social 'midnight snack' rather than a primary dinner meal.
- The term 卡巴 comes from the Turkish word 'kebap'.
Examples in context
- 我们有五种烤肉串。We have five kinds of kebab.This sentence is useful for stating the variety of kebabs available.Tatoeba #419806 by GlossaMatik, translation #419805 by FeuDRenais
- 昨天我在街上吃了一份沙威玛。Yesterday, I had a shawarma on the street.
- 你喜欢吃烤肉串吗？Do you like eating kebabs?
- 咱们去街边摊吃烤串如何？How about we go to a street stall and eat kebabs?
- 昨晚和朋友一起吃了些羊肉串。Last night, I had some lamb skewers with friends.
- 北京的烤肉儿味道特别好吃！The kebabs in Beijing taste especially delicious!
- 我们在新疆尝了最正宗的肉串儿。We tasted the most authentic kebabs in Xinjiang.
- 他在街边吃烤肉串。Tā zài jiē biān chī kǎoròu chuàn.He is eating kebabs by the street side.
Example conversation
Yuting and Haoran are at a street food market.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，你想买烤肉串吗？Hàorán, nǐ xiǎng mǎi kǎoròu chuàn ma?Haoran, do you want to buy some kebabs?
- 浩然 Haoran好啊，我也想吃。Hǎo a, wǒ yě xiǎng chī.Sure, I want to eat some too.
- 雨婷 Yuting我们要买多少串？Wǒmen yào mǎi duōshǎo chuàn?How many skewers should we buy?
- 浩然 Haoran买十串吧。Mǎi shí chuàn ba.Let's buy ten skewers.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kebab” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 卡巴, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
