点餐
diǎncān
To order food in Chinese is 点餐 (diǎncān).
The phrase 点餐 is used for the act of selecting and requesting items from a menu, whether in a sit-down restaurant or via a digital interface.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 点 (diǎn), meaning 'to click' or 'to select' and 餐 (cān), meaning 'meal'.
Which one should you use?
While 点餐 is a general term for ordering a meal, 点菜 is a common alternative that specifically implies ordering dishes (菜). Additionally, in informal contexts, one might use 叫 to mean 'order food', though this can also mean 'to call for' or 'to shout'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When specifying amounts, you may use the quantity words 份 for portions or servings or 碟 for plates.
How do you pronounce it?
diǎncān
Did you know?
- If you are unsure what to 点餐, you can ask for the 招牌菜 (zhāopáicài). This literally means 'signboard dish' and refers to the restaurant's signature specialty.
- When ordering in a modern Chinese restaurant, you will often use a smartphone to 点餐 rather than speaking to a waiter. Many restaurants now use QR codes on tables to bypass human interaction entirely.
- In a traditional Chinese banquet, the act of 点菜 is often handled by the highest-ranking person or the host, rather than each individual ordering their own meal.
Examples in context
- 服务员，我要点菜。(Fúwùyuán, wǒ yào diǎn cài.)Waiter/waitress, I want to order food.
- 我要点餐。(Wǒ yào diǎn cān.)I want to order food.
- 我要叫一份宫保鸡丁。(Wǒ yào jiào yī fèn gōngbǎo jīdīng.)I want to order one serving of Kung Pao Chicken.
- 我想点餐。Wǒ xiǎng diǎncān.
- 服务员，我们要点餐。fú wù yuán, wǒ men yào diǎn cān.Waiter, we want to order food.
- 你可以先点餐吗？nǐ kě yǐ xiān diǎn cān ma?Can you order food first?
- 还没准备好点餐。hái méi zhǔn bèi hǎo diǎn cān.We are not ready to order food yet.
Example conversation
浩然 and 晓雯 are sitting at a restaurant table.
- 浩然 Haoran晓雯，你准备好点餐了吗？xiǎo wén, nǐ zhǔn bèi hǎo diǎn cān le ma?Xiaowen, are you ready to order food?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我还没想好，再等一下。wǒ hái méi xiǎng hǎo, zài děng yī xià.I haven't decided yet, wait a moment.
- 浩然 Haoran好的，那我也再看看。hǎo de, nà wǒ yě zài kàn kàn.Okay, then I will look a bit more too.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen浩然，我们要点餐了。hào rán, wǒ men yào diǎn cān le.Haoran, we are going to order food now.
