Chinese Food Vocabulary — 80 Dishes with Pinyin
This list gives you 80 common Chinese dishes with characters, Pinyin, and English. Learn these and Chinese menus will become much easier to read.
80 Popular Chinese Dishes
| # | Chinese | Pinyin | English | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 宫保鸡丁 | gōngbǎo jīdīng | Kung Pao Chicken | Sichuan |
| 2 | 麻婆豆腐 | mápó dòufu | Mapo Tofu | Sichuan |
| 3 | 鱼香肉丝 | yúxiāng ròusī | Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork | Sichuan |
| 4 | 回锅肉 | huíguōròu | Twice-Cooked Pork | Sichuan |
| 5 | 红烧肉 | hóngshāoròu | Red-Braised Pork Belly | Home-style |
| 6 | 糖醋排骨 | tángcù páigǔ | Sweet and Sour Ribs | Home-style |
| 7 | 京酱肉丝 | jīngjiàng ròusī | Shredded Pork in Beijing Sauce | Beijing |
| 8 | 水煮鱼 | shuǐzhǔ yú | Poached Fish in Chili Oil | Sichuan |
| 9 | 水煮牛肉 | shuǐzhǔ niúròu | Poached Beef in Chili Oil | Sichuan |
| 10 | 夫妻肺片 | fūqī fèipiàn | Sliced Beef Offal in Chili Sauce | Sichuan |
| 11 | 口水鸡 | kǒushuǐ jī | Mouthwatering Chicken | Sichuan |
| 12 | 辣子鸡 | làzǐ jī | Chili Chicken | Sichuan |
| 13 | 干锅花菜 | gānguō huācài | Dry Pot Cauliflower | Hunan/Sichuan |
| 14 | 干煸四季豆 | gānbiān sìjìdòu | Dry-Fried Green Beans | Sichuan |
| 15 | 地三鲜 | dìsānxiān | Stir-Fried Potato, Eggplant & Pepper | Northeast |
| 16 | 西红柿炒鸡蛋 | xīhóngshì chǎo jīdàn | Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry | Home-style |
| 17 | 青椒肉丝 | qīngjiāo ròusī | Shredded Pork with Green Pepper | Home-style |
| 18 | 蒜蓉西兰花 | suànróng xīlánhuā | Broccoli with Garlic | Vegetable |
| 19 | 清蒸鱼 | qīngzhēng yú | Steamed Fish | Cantonese |
| 20 | 白切鸡 | báiqiē jī | Poached Chicken | Cantonese |
| 21 | 北京烤鸭 | běijīng kǎoyā | Peking Duck | Beijing |
| 22 | 叉烧 | chāshāo | Char Siu (BBQ Pork) | Cantonese |
| 23 | 烧鹅 | shāo'é | Roast Goose | Cantonese |
| 24 | 白灼虾 | báizhuó xiā | Blanched Shrimp | Cantonese |
| 25 | 豉汁蒸排骨 | chǐzhī zhēng páigǔ | Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce | Dim Sum |
| 26 | 腊味煲仔饭 | làwèi bāozǎifàn | Clay Pot Rice with Cured Meat | Cantonese |
| 27 | 云吞面 | yúntūn miàn | Wonton Noodles | Cantonese |
| 28 | 叉烧包 | chāshāo bāo | BBQ Pork Bun | Dim Sum |
| 29 | 虾饺 | xiājiǎo | Shrimp Dumpling | Dim Sum |
| 30 | 烧卖 | shāomài | Siu Mai | Dim Sum |
| 31 | 肠粉 | chángfěn | Rice Noodle Rolls | Dim Sum |
| 32 | 蛋挞 | dàntà | Egg Tart | Dessert |
| 33 | 皮蛋瘦肉粥 | pídàn shòuròu zhōu | Century Egg and Pork Congee | Porridge |
| 34 | 扬州炒饭 | yángzhōu chǎofàn | Yangzhou Fried Rice | Rice |
| 35 | 蛋炒饭 | dàn chǎofàn | Egg Fried Rice | Rice |
| 36 | 炒河粉 | chǎo héfěn | Stir-Fried Rice Noodles | Noodles |
| 37 | 牛肉面 | niúròu miàn | Beef Noodle Soup | Noodles |
| 38 | 兰州拉面 | lánzhōu lāmiàn | Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodles | Noodles |
| 39 | 炸酱面 | zhájiàngmiàn | Noodles with Soybean Paste | Beijing |
| 40 | 热干面 | règānmiàn | Hot Dry Noodles | Wuhan |
| 41 | 刀削面 | dāoxiāo miàn | Knife-Cut Noodles | Shanxi |
| 42 | 酸辣粉 | suānlàfěn | Hot and Sour Noodles | Chongqing |
| 43 | 小笼包 | xiǎolóngbāo | Soup Dumplings | Shanghai |
| 44 | 生煎包 | shēngjiānbāo | Pan-Fried Soup Buns | Shanghai |
| 45 | 锅贴 | guōtiē | Potstickers | Dumplings |
| 46 | 饺子 | jiǎozi | Boiled Dumplings | Dumplings |
| 47 | 馄饨 | húntun | Wonton Soup | Dumplings |
| 48 | 汤圆 | tāngyuán | Glutinous Rice Balls | Dessert |
| 49 | 春卷 | chūnjuǎn | Spring Rolls | Snack |
| 50 | 葱油饼 | cōngyóubǐng | Scallion Pancake | Snack |
| 51 | 肉夹馍 | ròujiāmó | Chinese Pork Burger | Shaanxi |
| 52 | 凉皮 | liángpí | Cold Noodle Skin | Shaanxi |
| 53 | 羊肉泡馍 | yángròu pàomó | Lamb Soup with Crumbled Flatbread | Shaanxi |
| 54 | 螺蛳粉 | luósīfěn | River Snail Rice Noodles | Guangxi |
| 55 | 过桥米线 | guòqiáo mǐxiàn | Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles | Yunnan |
| 56 | 麻辣香锅 | málà xiāngguō | Mala Dry Pot | Sichuan |
| 57 | 火锅 | huǒguō | Hot Pot | Shared meal |
| 58 | 重庆小面 | chóngqìng xiǎomiàn | Chongqing Spicy Noodles | Chongqing |
| 59 | 担担面 | dàndànmiàn | Dan Dan Noodles | Sichuan |
| 60 | 钵钵鸡 | bōbōjī | Bobo Chicken Skewers | Sichuan |
| 61 | 冒菜 | màocài | Mao Cai (Single-Serve Hot Pot) | Sichuan |
| 62 | 酸菜鱼 | suāncài yú | Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens | Sichuan |
| 63 | 黄焖鸡米饭 | huángmènjī mǐfàn | Braised Chicken with Rice | Fast casual |
| 64 | 啤酒鸭 | píjiǔ yā | Beer Duck | Hunan/Local |
| 65 | 东坡肉 | dōngpōròu | Dongpo Pork | Zhejiang |
| 66 | 西湖醋鱼 | xīhú cùyú | West Lake Vinegar Fish | Hangzhou |
| 67 | 龙井虾仁 | lóngjǐng xiārén | Longjing Tea Shrimp | Hangzhou |
| 68 | 叫花鸡 | jiàohuā jī | Beggar’s Chicken | Jiangsu/Zhejiang |
| 69 | 狮子头 | shīzitóu | Lion’s Head Meatballs | Jiangsu |
| 70 | 蚂蚁上树 | mǎyǐ shàng shù | Ants Climbing a Tree (Vermicelli with Pork) | Home-style |
| 71 | 木须肉 | mùxū ròu | Moo Shu Pork | Northern |
| 72 | 鱼头豆腐汤 | yútóu dòufu tāng | Fish Head Tofu Soup | Soup |
| 73 | 紫菜蛋花汤 | zǐcài dànhuā tāng | Seaweed Egg Drop Soup | Soup |
| 74 | 冬瓜排骨汤 | dōngguā páigǔ tāng | Winter Melon Pork Rib Soup | Soup |
| 75 | 酸梅汤 | suānméi tāng | Sour Plum Drink | Drink |
| 76 | 豆浆 | dòujiāng | Soy Milk | Drink |
| 77 | 油条 | yóutiáo | Chinese Fried Dough Stick | Breakfast |
| 78 | 豆花 | dòuhuā | Tofu Pudding | Snack/Dessert |
| 79 | 芝麻球 | zhīmáqiú | Sesame Balls | Dessert |
| 80 | 驴打滚 | lǘdǎgǔn | Rolling Donkey (Sticky Rice Roll) | Dessert |
Ordering tip: Start with easy dish names like 蛋炒饭, 饺子, 小笼包, and 宫保鸡丁.
Practice these dish names in our Chinese Translation tool, and check pronunciation in the Interactive Pinyin Chart.