晚餐

• Pinyin: wǎn cān
• Hanzi breakdown: 晚 = evening; 餐 = meal, food — the evening meal

Meaning

Dinner; supper; evening meal. The main meal eaten in the evening.

A somewhat formal word for the evening meal. In everyday spoken Chinese, 晚饭 is more common, while 晚餐 appears in slightly more formal or written contexts such as restaurant menus, hotel services, and invitations. Both are widely understood.

Examples

1. 晚餐你想吃什么？ What do you want for dinner?
2. 我们六点吃晚餐。 We eat dinner at six o'clock.
3. 这家酒店的晚餐很丰盛。 The dinner at this hotel is very lavish.

Usage Guide

Context: food, dining, daily routine

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我们一起吃晚餐吧。(Let's have dinner together.)
• 晚餐准备好了。(Dinner is ready.)

Don't Say

• 和朋友随便聊天时说晚餐 (In very casual chat with friends, 晚饭 sounds more natural than 晚餐, which is slightly formal)

Origin & History

晚 (wǎn, evening) + 餐 (cān, meal). The meal of the evening.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal