腌
yān
To marinate in Chinese is 腌 (yān). Wiktionary also lists 腌泡 (yānpào).
Meaning: soak in marinade (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 腌 | yān |
| 腌泡 | yānpào |
It can refer to marinating meat or the general process of pickling vegetables in brine or salt.
What does it mean word for word?
The form 腌泡 is a compound word where 腌 means to salt or pickle and 泡 means to soak or steep.
Which one should you use?
While 腌 is a standard term for both marinating meat and the process of pickling vegetables, the two-character form 腌制 is used to describe the formal process of marinating or curing food.
How do you pronounce it?
yān
Did you know?
- While 腌 refers to curing with salt, Chinese cuisine uses a distinct process called 糟, which is marinating in fermented rice wine.
- The word 泡 used in 腌泡 also describes the act of steeping tea, meaning the same character describes both a savory brine and a delicate tea brew.
- The character 泡 in the compound 腌泡 shares its linguistic root with the word for 'bubbles', reflecting the visual of food steeping in a liquid.
Examples in context
- 请把肉腌起来Please marinate the meat.
- 你的腌制菜真是美味无比Your marinated dish is incredibly delicious!
- 把肉腌一下Marinate the meat a bit
- 把肉腌一下。Bǎ ròu yān yíxià.Marinate the meat for a bit.
- 鸡肉需要腌制两个小时。Jīròu xūyào yānzhì liǎng gè xiǎoshí.The chicken needs to marinate for two hours.
- 你把排骨腌好了吗？Nǐ bǎ páigǔ yān hǎo le ma?Have you finished marinating the ribs?
Example conversation
A couple is preparing dinner in the kitchen.
- 佳怡 Jiayi俊杰，帮我把这些鱼肉腌一下。Jùnjié, bāng wǒ bǎ zhèxiē yúròu yān yíxià.Junjie, help me marinate this fish.
- 俊杰 Junjie好的，需要加点盐吗？Hǎo de, xūyào jiā diǎn yán ma?Sure, do I need to add some salt?
- 佳怡 Jiayi加一点盐和酱油就可以。Jiā yìdiǎn yán hé jiàngyóu jiù kěyǐ.Just add a little salt and soy sauce.
- 俊杰 Junjie没问题，我这就去腌。Méi wèntí, wǒ zhè jiù qù yān.No problem, I'll go marinate it now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “marinate” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
