午餐

• Pinyin: wǔ cān
• Hanzi breakdown: 午 = noon, midday; 餐 = meal — the midday meal

Meaning

Lunch; midday meal. The meal eaten around noon.

A slightly formal word for the midday meal. In everyday spoken Chinese, 午饭 or 中午饭 is more common, while 午餐 appears on menus, in written text, and in slightly more formal contexts. Similar to how 晚餐 is more formal than 晚饭.

Examples

1. 午餐你吃了什么？ What did you have for lunch?
2. 公司附近有很多午餐的选择。 There are many lunch options near the company.
3. 我们十二点去吃午餐吧。 Let's go have lunch at twelve o'clock.

Usage Guide

Context: food, dining, daily routine, work

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 午餐吃什么好？(What should we have for lunch?)
• 午餐时间到了。(It's lunch time.)

Don't Say

• 在和朋友随便说话时用午餐 (In casual chat with friends, 午饭 sounds more natural than 午餐, which carries a slightly formal tone)

Origin & History

午 (wǔ, noon/midday) + 餐 (cān, meal). The meal of the midday.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal