Cook

This “Cooking” vocabulary set provides Vietnamese learners with more than 15 commonly used Chinese vocabulary related to cooking, including verbs indicating the action of cooking (such as 做饭 – zuò fàn: cook rice, 炒 – chǎo: stir-fry, 烧 – shāo: grill), nouns indicating dishes, ingredients, kitchen utensils (such as 菜 – cài: dishes, 材料 – cái liào: ingredients, 锅 – guō: pot) and other supporting vocabulary. Learners can use this vocabulary set to describe dishes, cooking processes and kitchen utensils. This document is suitable for Chinese learners at all levels, from basic to advanced. Learning Chinese vocabulary effectively requires perseverance and appropriate methods. Refer to more free online Chinese learning resources to improve learning efficiency.

做饭
Writing practice verb L1
zuò fàn
cook rice
我每天都做饭。
wǒ měi tiān dōu zuò fàn 。
I cook rice every day.
Use: Common words, used in daily life. Can be used with many objects.
Writing practice noun L1
cài
food, vegetables
这道菜很好吃。
zhè dào cài hěn hǎo chī 。
This dish is delicious.
Use: Refers to food in general or vegetables. '一道菜' refers to a specific dish.
Writing practice noun L1
fàn
rice
我要吃一碗饭。
wǒ yào chī yī wǎn fàn.
I want to eat a bowl of rice.
Use: Cooked rice only. Can be combined with quantity words like '一碗', '一杯'...
Writing practice verb L1
chī
eat
我喜欢吃苹果。
wǒ xǐ huan chī píng guǒ.
I like eating apples.
Use: Verbs that refer to the act of eating in general.
Writing practice verb L1
drink
我喝一杯水。
wǒ hē yī bēi shuǐ 。
I drink a glass of water.
Use: Verb for the action of drinking.
Writing practice verb L1
zhǔ
boil, cook
我煮了一锅面条。
wǒ zhǔ le yī guō miàntiáo 。
I boiled a pot of noodles.
Use: Just cook with boiling water.
Writing practice verb L1
chǎo
fry
我炒了一个菜。
wǒ chǎo le yī ge cài 。
I stir-fry a dish.
Use: Just cook by stir-frying with oil.
Writing practice verb L1
shāo
grill, stir-fry, cook
我烧了一盘鱼。
wǒ shāo le yī pán yú 。
I grilled a plate of fish.
Use: The meaning is broader than 'chǎo' and 'zhǔ', it can mean to grill, stir-fry, cook depending on the context.
材料
Writing practice noun L1
cái liào
ingredient
做这个菜需要哪些材料?
zuò zhège cài xūyào nǎxiē cái liào ?
What ingredients do I need to make this dish?
Use: Only the ingredients needed for cooking.
调料
Writing practice noun L1
tiáoliào
spice
这些调料能让菜更美味。
zhè xiē diào liào néng ràng cài gèng měi wèi 。
These spices can make food taste better.
Use: Only spices such as salt, sugar, pepper...
  • Remember the tones: Use songs, videos or online Chinese learning software to practice pronunciation and memorize the tones of each word.
  • Tips to remember Chinese characters: Find an illustration for each Chinese character and associate it with the image to help you remember it more easily. For example, the character 锅 (guō – pot) is shaped like a pot.
  • How to use in a sentence: Practice putting the vocabulary into sentences to better understand how to use it in real-life contexts. For example: 我喜欢吃炒饭 (Wǒ xǐhuan chī chǎofàn) – I like to eat fried rice.
  • Review regularly: Create flashcards and review vocabulary every day to reinforce your knowledge.
  • Learning integration: Combine learning vocabulary with watching movies, listening to music or reading Chinese books to enhance your language acquisition.

Vocabulary

From Pinyin Meaning
做饭 zuò fàn cook rice
cài food, vegetables
fàn rice
chī eat
drink
zhǔ boil, cook
chǎo fry
shāo grill, stir-fry, cook
材料 cái liào ingredient
调料 tiáoliào spice
食谱 shí pǔ Recipe
厨房 chúfáng kitchen
guō pot, pan
wǎn bowl
pán plate
sháo spoon
dāo knife
qiē slice
wash
yán salt
táng road
yóu oil
味精 wèi jīng MSG
酱油 jiàngyóu soy sauce
vinegar
香料 xiāng liào aromatic spices
冰箱 bīngxiāng fridge
kǎo grill
zhēng steam
jiān fry
美味 měi wèi tasty
食慾 shíyù taste
炒菜 chǎo cài stir-fried vegetables
煮饭 zhǔ fàn cook rice
烧菜 shāo cài cook
切菜 qiē cài cut vegetables
洗菜 xǐ cài wash vegetables
烹饪 pēngrèn cooking
菜谱 cài pǔ cookbook
原料 yuánliào ingredient
调味料 tiáo wèi liào spice
辣椒 là jiāo chilli
筷子 kuài zi chopsticks
勺子 sháo zi spoon
烤箱 kǎo xiāng griller
tāng soup
tián sweet
xián salty
spicy
suān sour
bitter
好吃 hǎo chī tasty
新鲜 xīnxiān fresh
烹调 pēngdiào processing
烘焙 hóngbèi grill
搅拌 jiǎo bàn stir
腌制 yān zhì marinate
zhà fry, deep fry
dùn tunnel
ròu meat
fish
鸡蛋 jīdàn eggs
shuǐ water
大蒜 dàsuàn garlic
jiāng ginger
cōng spring onion
香油 xiāngyóu sesame oil
bàn mix
调味 tiáowèi seasoning
可口 kěkǒu tasty
rice
盘子 pánzi plate
jiā more
fàng give, put
xiāng fragrant
吃饭 chī fàn eat
米饭 mǐfàn rice
面条 miàntiáo noodles
凉拌 liángbàn make salad
食材 shícái ingredient
食盐 shíyán salt
胡椒粉 hújiāofěn ground pepper
suàn garlic
配方 pēifāng recipe
佳肴 jiāyáo delicious food
色香味 sèxiāngwèi color, smell, taste