Restaurant menu in Chinese
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Read time: 5 minutes
Below is a real restaurant menu in Chinese I came across during my first week in Taiwan. At that time I couldn’t understand much at all.
Learning to read real menus propelled my Chinese reading because they are practical, digestible, and useful. Native speakers see menus like this every day.
I’ll break down what to focus on so it’s easier for you. Let’s focus on the areas in red.
Step 1: Listen & Read
Listen to the speaker reading out the sign and follow along with the characters & pinyin below. Listen to as many times as you like.
This may seem intimidating because you may not understand much initially, but don’t worry! This is to help you get used to the sounds. We’ll get into the translation in the next step.
Zhuō hào
桌号
桌號
(Qǐng tiánxiě)
(请填写)
(請填寫)
Pǐnmíng
品名
品名
Jiàgé
价格
價格
Shù liàng
数 量
數 量
Là bú là
辣 不辣
辣 不辣
Ròu
肉
肉
Miàn xiàn
面线
麵線
Hézǐ
蚵仔
蚵仔
Yóuyú
鱿鱼
魷魚
Héjì
合计
合計
Yuán
元
元
Step 2: English Translations
Read the English translations and vocabulary list and check how much you understood.
Zhuō hào
桌号
桌號
Table number
(Qǐng tiánxiě)
(请填写)
(請填寫)
Please fill out
Pǐnmíng
品名
品名
Product name
Jiàgé
价格
價格
Price
Shù liàng
数 量
數 量
Quantity
Là bú là
辣 不辣
辣 不辣
Spicy not spicy
Ròu
肉
肉
Meat
Miàn xiàn
面线
麵線
Noodles (vermicelli)
Hézǐ
蚵仔
蚵仔
Oysters
Yóuyú
鱿鱼
魷魚
Squid
Héjì
合计
合計
Total amount
Yuán
元
元
Currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan)
Vocabulary List:
Access the full lesson with vocabulary lists, a study tracker, audio pronunciation, real video examples, flashcard review, and more here:
Step 3: Repetition
Most people stop after reading the translation, but they miss the most important step: repetition. This will help you improve your reading and speaking.
Read the characters out loud with the pinyin. Focus on getting the correct tones. Go back to the original audio in Step 1 if you need to hear it again.
Zhuō hào
桌号
桌號
(Qǐng tiánxiě)
(请填写)
(請填寫)
Pǐnmíng
品名
品名
Jiàgé
价格
價格
Shù liàng
数 量
數 量
Là bú là
辣 不辣
辣 不辣
Ròu
肉
肉
Miàn xiàn
面线
麵線
Hézǐ
蚵仔
蚵仔
Yóuyú
鱿鱼
魷魚
Héjì
合计
合計
Yuán
元
元
Step 4: Final Test
Bring things full circle and read the original text one more time without pinyin. This will prepare you for the real world.
How does it feel compared to when you first read it?
Congrats! You just read a real-world Chinese sign!
I used this simple but powerful 4-step method to help me get fluent in Mandarin, consume native content, and speak with locals confidently.
See you again next week for another real-world breakdown.
When you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help you:
The Language Learner OS: The all-in-one study system I used to learn fluent Chinese that combines vocab lists, flashcards, journals, goals & more.
The Monthly Signs: Access full lessons of real signs with vocab lists, audio pronunciation guides, real video examples, flashcard reviews and more!