English–Chinese

“salty” in Chinese

Chinese

Pronunciation

Pinyinxián

Example

这汤太咸了。zhè tāng tài xián le

This soup is too salty.

Illustration for 咸 (salty)

How to say “salty” in Chinese

“Salty” in Chinese is 咸 (xián).

Food has a clearly detectable level of salt that shapes the whole eating experience.

Full entry for 咸: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 咸

这菜有点咸，可以少放盐。zhè cài yóu diǎn xián ké yǐ shǎo fàng yán

This dish is a little salty, so you can use less salt.

Tips for using 咸

  • Degree words before this adjective mark the speaker's judgment, helping distinguish a mild comment about flavor from a strong complaint in shared-meal conversation.

“salty” in other languages