泰国菜
tài guó cài
The English phrase "thai food" is translated into Chinese as 泰国菜 (tài guó cài).
泰国菜 refers to food that comes from Thailand or is prepared in the Thai style.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 泰国 (tài guó), meaning 'Thailand' and 菜 (cài), meaning 'cuisine' or 'dish'.
Which one should you use?
泰菜 and 泰餐 are more concise ways to say the same thing.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, you may use 泰國菜 to refer to Thai food.
How do you pronounce it?
tài guó cài
Did you know?
- The character 泰 in 泰国菜 also means 'peace' or 'great'. It is the same character used in the word for 'Mount Tai', one of the most sacred mountains in China.
- In Chinese, the same character 菜 used in 泰国菜 is also used to describe the 'vegetables' one buys at a market, creating a linguistic link between raw ingredients and a national cuisine.
- Despite the meaning of 泰国菜, a Chinese speaker might never use the phrase in a restaurant, instead naming the specific dish like 'Thai curry' to signal the cuisine.
Examples in context
- 泰国菜怎么样？How about Thai food?This sentence is useful for asking for an opinion on 泰国菜.Tatoeba #515857 by fucongcong, translation #41103 by Swift
- 我很喜欢 泰国菜 。I really like Thai food.
- 让我们去吃点儿 泰菜 吧！Let's go and eat some Thai food!
- 我想尝试一下 泰式美食 。I want to try some Thai-style delicacies.
- 我很喜欢吃泰国菜。Wǒ hěn xǐhuān chī Tàiguó cài.I really like eating Thai food.
- 这家店的泰国菜很有名。Zhè jiā diàn de Tàiguó cài hěn yǒumíng.The Thai food at this restaurant is very famous.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们今晚吃泰国菜吧？Wǒmen jīnwǎn chī Tàiguó cài ba?Shall we eat Thai food tonight?
- 浩然 Haoran好啊，我也想吃。Hǎo a, wǒ yě xiǎng chī.Sure, I want to eat it too.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我知道一家很棒的餐厅。Wǒ zhīdào yījiā hěn bàng de cāntīng.I know a great restaurant.
- 浩然 Haoran那我们走吧。Nà wǒmen zǒu ba.Then let's go.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
