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Mandarin Restaurant Phrases
Order, dietary preferences, pay. 12+ essential phrases with phonetic pronunciation and 5 full conversation flows for restaurant situations in China.
Start learning freeEssential Restaurant Phrases in Mandarin
Sorted by usefulness. Phonetic pronunciation included.
买单
my-dahn
The bill please
菜单
tsai-dahn
Menu
谢谢
shyeh-shyeh
Thank you
我要
waw yow
I want / I'll take
好的
how duh
OK / Alright
点菜
dyen-tsai
Order food
不要辣
boo yow lah
Not spicy
饭
fahn
Rice (cooked) / Meal
水
shway
Water
要
yow
Want / Need
这个
juh-guh
This one
辣
lah
Spicy
...and 97 more restaurant phrases in the app.
Sample: Explaining what you can't eat
A real restaurant conversation in Mandarin -- both sides of the interaction.
You
请问，我有过敏
ching-wun waw yo gwaw-min
Excuse me, I have a food allergy
You
我对花生过敏
waw dway hwah-shung gwaw-min
I can't eat peanuts
Them
how duh ming-bye luh
The waiter confirms and may ask follow-up questions
好的，明白了
how duh ming-bye luh
OK, understood
You
这个菜有花生吗
juh-guh tsai yo hwah-shung mah
Does this dish have peanuts?
Them
may-yo fahng-shin
The waiter confirms it's safe
没有，放心
may-yo fahng-shin
No, it's safe
You
太好了！我要这个
tie how luh waw yow juh-guh
Perfect! I'll have this one
5 restaurant conversations available in the app.
FAQ
What happens when they answer back at the restaurant in China?
That's the hard part -- and exactly what TalkThere prepares you for. Each of the 5 restaurant conversations shows you the full back-and-forth: what you say, what they'll likely respond, and how to keep going. You won't freeze when they answer in Mandarin.
Is this enough to get by at a restaurant in China?
Yes. These are the 12+ phrases that actually come up in real restaurant interactions -- not textbook phrases. Sorted by how often you'll need them, with pronunciation you can read at a glance.
Do I need to learn Mandarin script to use this?
No. Every Mandarin phrase has phonetic pronunciation written in plain English. You read it like English and say it out loud. The script is there for reference, but you don't need it.
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