Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 意大利粉 | yìdàlìfěn | |
| 意大利麵 / 意大利面 | yìdàlìmiàn | |
| 意大利麵條 / 意大利面条 | yìdàlì miàntiáo | |
| 意麵 / 意面 | yìmiàn | |
| 義麵 / 义面 | yìmiàn | |
| 義大利粉 / 义大利粉 | yìdàlìfěn | Taiwan |
| 義大利麵 / 义大利面 | yìdàlìmiàn | Taiwan |
| 義大利麵條 / 义大利面条 | yìdàlì miàntiáo | Taiwan |
| 意粉 | yìfěn | abbreviation |
| 義粉 / 义粉 | yìfěn | Taiwan, abbreviation |
The terms are used to describe the long, thin, string-shaped pasta.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 意大利粉 is composed of 意大利 (Italy) and 粉 (powder, flour or fine noodles). The term 意大利麵 is composed of 意大利 (Italy) and 麵 (noodles or wheat flour).
Which one should you use?
The various forms differ based on the specific noun used for the pasta and the level of detail. 意粉 and 義粉 / 义粉 are abbreviations. Using 意大利麵條 / 意大利面条 emphasizes the long, thin, strand-like shape of the spaghetti by adding 條 (strands) to the end of the phrase.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, the traditional characters 義大利麵 / 义大利面, 義大利麵條 / 义大利面条, 義粉 / 义粉 and 義麵 / 义面 are used instead of the forms commonly found in Mainland China. For example, 義大利麵 is used in Taiwan while 意大利麵 is used in Mainland China.
How do you pronounce it?
yìdàlìfěn
Did you know?
- The word 意大利 (Yìdàlì) is a phonetic transcription of 'Italy'. The first character 意 means 'idea' or 'intention' and is not related to the country's name in Italian.
- The abbreviation 意粉 is extremely common in Cantonese-speaking areas like Hong Kong, treating the word almost like a single noun.
- In many Chinese restaurants, 'spaghetti' is used as a generic term for any Italian pasta shape, including penne or fusilli, because the specific names for shapes are less common.
Examples in context
- Tom会做意大利粉。Tom knows how to cook spaghetti.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 意大利粉.Tatoeba #2889890 by Popolon, translation #1093330 by CK
- 请给我一份意大利面。Please give me a portion of spaghetti.
- 咱们去吃意大利面吧！Let's go eat spaghetti!
- 我想吃意大利粉。Wǒ xiǎng chī yìdàlìfěn.I want to eat spaghetti.
- 这盘意大利粉很好吃。Zhè pán yìdàlìfěn hěn hǎochī.This plate of spaghetti is delicious.
Example conversation
A couple is deciding what to order for dinner.
- 梓涵 Zihan志强，我们点意大利粉吧。Zhìqiáng, wǒmen diǎn yìdàlìfěn ba.Zhiqiang, let's order spaghetti.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好啊，我也想吃意大利粉。Hǎo a, wǒ yě xiǎng chī yìdàlìfěn.Okay, I want to eat spaghetti too.
- 梓涵 Zihan你会点哪种口味的？Nǐ huì diǎn nǎ zhǒng kǒuwèi de?Which flavor will you order?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我想尝试番茄口味的。Wǒ xiǎng chángshì fānqié kǒuwèi de.I want to try the tomato flavor.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spaghetti” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
