餐厅

• Pinyin: cān tīng
• Hanzi breakdown: 餐 (meal) + 厅 (hall, room)

Meaning

Dining room; restaurant; cafeteria.

Can refer to both a dining room in a home/building or a restaurant. Often used for hotel restaurants, company cafeterias, and upscale dining establishments. More modern-sounding than 餐馆.

Examples

1. 酒店的餐厅提供自助早餐，品种非常丰富。 The hotel restaurant offers a buffet breakfast with a wide variety of options.
2. 公司餐厅中午人太多，我们出去吃吧。 The company cafeteria is too crowded at noon — let's go eat out.
3. 这间公寓的餐厅和客厅是连在一起的。 The dining room and living room in this apartment are connected.

Usage Guide

Context: dining, hotel, home

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请到餐厅用餐。(Please go to the dining room for your meal.)
• 公司餐厅几点开门？(What time does the company cafeteria open?)

Don't Say

• 把路边小店叫'餐厅'——餐厅通常指更正式或更大的用餐场所 (Don't call a small roadside eatery a 餐厅 — 餐厅 usually refers to more formal or larger dining venues)

Origin & History

Compound of 餐 (meal) + 厅 (hall/room), meaning 'meal hall/room.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal