Chinese word

三明治

Pronunciation

Pinyinsān míng zhì

Meaning

  • nounsandwich

Example

你要什么三明治？nǐ yào shén me sān míng zhì

What kind of sandwich do you want?

Illustration for 三明治 (sandwich)

More examples

他在街角的三明治店买了一份三明治。tā zài jiē jiǎo de sān míng zhì diàn mǎi le yí fèn sān míng zhì

He bought a sandwich at the sandwich shop on the street corner.

Core concept

A compact stack of bread and fillings forms a meal that travels easily.

Common phrases

  • 早餐吃三明治zǎo cān chī sān míng zhì

    eat a sandwich for breakfast

  • 做三明治zuò sān míng zhì

    make a sandwich

  • 买一份三明治mǎi yí fèn sān míng zhì

    buy a sandwich

  • 外带三明治wài dài sān míng zhì

    get a sandwich to go

Similar words

面包miàn bāo: A flour-based food baked into a loaf or other form and often sliced before eating.
汉堡包hàn bǎo bāo: A convenient meal made with a round bun holding meat, vegetables, or other fillings.
吐司tǔ sī: Soft bread cut into thin slices and eaten as it is or after toasting.
快餐kuài cān: A convenient meal made quickly and served for fast eating.

Definition in Chinese

两片或多片面包中间夹有肉类、蔬菜、奶酪等食材，便于携带的午餐或点心。liǎng piàn huò duō piàn miàn bāo zhōng jiān jiā yǒu ròu lèi shū cài nǎi lào děng shí cái biàn yú xié dài de wǔ cān huò diǎn xīn

Word origin

三明治 (sānmíngzhì, "sandwich") uses characters selected mainly to approximate the pronunciation of the English word rather than to describe the food.

Usage tips

  • On menus, the filling is often named before the dish name, so ingredient-first names become easier to parse once the main food word is recognized.

Related words

  • 三明治店sān míng zhì diànsandwich shopnoun

Word lists with this word