Chinese word

做饭

Pronunciation

Pinyinzuò fàn

Meaning

  • verbcook

Example

你会做饭吗？nǐ huì zuò fàn ma

Are you able to cook?

Illustration for 做饭 (cook)

More examples

她自己做饭。tā zì jǐ zuò fàn

She cooks on her own.

Core concept

A kitchen task that changes ingredients into food ready for people to eat.

Common phrases

  • 会做饭huì zuò fàn

    can cook

  • 自己做饭zì jǐ zuò fàn

    cook on one's own

  • 每天做饭měi tiān zuò fàn

    cook each day

Similar words

做菜zuò cài: Make a cooked dish by cutting ingredients, adding seasoning, and using heat or oil.
煮饭zhǔ fàn: Make cooked rice or other grains by heating them in water.

Definition in Chinese

指在家或其他地方用火或厨房器具把食材加工成可食用的饭菜。zhǐ zài jiā huò qí tā dì fāng yòng huǒ huò chú fáng qì jù bǎ shí cái jiā gōng chéng kě shí yòng de fàn cài

Word origin

做 (zuò, "do") + 饭 (fàn, "cooked rice or meal") joins an action word with a word for a meal, creating the sense of preparing food to eat.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may hear "meal" as the finished food, but this Chinese verb focuses on the work that produces it, so it can describe ordinary kitchen activity even when no single dish is named.

Word lists with this word