小吃

• Pinyin: xiǎo chī
• Hanzi breakdown: 小 = pictograph of small objects; 吃 = 口 (mouth) + 乞 (beg, phonetic) — to eat

Meaning

Snack; street food; light bite. Refers to small, inexpensive food items typically sold at street stalls or casual eateries.

A beloved part of Chinese food culture. Every city and region has its own famous 小吃, and 小吃街 (snack streets) are popular tourist and social destinations. Examples include 煎饼果子, 糖葫芦, 羊肉串, and 烤红薯. The word is both affectionate and culturally significant, representing local flavours and traditions.

Examples

1. 我们晚上去小吃街逛逛，尝尝各种地方特色小吃。 Let's go for a stroll along the snack street this evening and try various local specialities.
2. 这家摊位的小吃非常有名，每天都有很多人排队。 The snacks at this stall are very well known, and there is a long queue every day.
3. 她喜欢在旅行时尝试当地的传统小吃。 She enjoys trying local traditional snacks when she travels.

Usage Guide

Context: food, travel, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 北京有很多著名的传统小吃，比如豆汁和炸酱面。(Beijing has many famous traditional snacks, such as fermented bean juice and noodles with minced meat sauce.)
• 这条街的小吃种类很多，价格也不贵。(This street has a wide variety of snacks, and the prices are affordable.)

Don't Say

• 把小吃用于描述正式餐厅的菜肴。(Don't use 小吃 to refer to dishes at a formal restaurant — 小吃 refers specifically to casual, informal snacks and street food, not full-course meals.)

Origin & History

Compound of 小 (small) and 吃 (eat/food), literally 'small food' — referring to snacks and street foods eaten casually.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal