菜单

• Pinyin: cài dān
• Hanzi breakdown: 菜 (cài) — vegetable, dish; 单 (dān) — list, form, single

Meaning

Menu. A list of food and drinks available at a restaurant.

Primarily used in restaurants and food-ordering contexts. Can also be used in computing to refer to a list of options, similar to English 'menu.' One of the first words learners encounter when dining in China.

Examples

1. 请给我一份菜单。 Please give me a menu.
2. 菜单上有很多好吃的菜。 There are many delicious dishes on the menu.
3. 这家饭店的菜单是中英文的。 This restaurant's menu is in both Chinese and English.

Usage Guide

Context: restaurants, ordering food, dining

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 我们先看看菜单吧。(Let's take a look at the menu first.)
• 菜单上有今天的特价菜。(The menu has today's specials.)

Don't Say

• Do not say 菜本 or 菜书 for a restaurant menu — the correct word is always 菜单. Some regions also use 菜谱 for a more comprehensive recipe book.

Origin & History

Compound of 菜 (dish, food) and 单 (list, form). Literally 'food list.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal