Chinese word

小吃

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiǎo chī

Meaning

  • nounsnack

Example

我想吃点小吃。wǒ xiǎng chī diǎn xiǎo chī

I want to eat some snacks.

Illustration for 小吃 (snack)

More examples

这个城市的街头小吃很多，很好吃。zhè ge chéng shì de jiē tóu xiǎo chī hěn duō hěn hǎo chī

There is a lot of street food in this city, and it is delicious.

Core concept

Food in a small, casual serving, ready to eat without the planning or formality of a main meal.

Common phrases

  • 街头小吃jiē tóu xiǎo chī

    street food

  • 地方小吃dì fāng xiǎo chī

    local snacks

  • 小吃店xiǎo chī diàn

    snack shop

Similar words

点心diǎn xīn: Small pastries or light savory dishes commonly served with tea.
零食líng shí: Snack foods eaten between meals, especially sweets and packaged items.
快餐kuài cān: A simple meal made and served quickly when there is little time.

Definition in Chinese

少量、便于即食的食物，常作为点心或街头售卖的食品。shǎo liàng biàn yú jí shí de shí wù cháng zuò wéi diǎn xīn huò jiē tóu shòu mài de shí pǐn

Word origin

小 (xiǎo, "small") + 吃 (chī, "eat") focuses on taking a little food, a meaning that naturally extends to quick foods sold in casual places.

Usage tips

  • At a night market, ordering 小吃 (xiǎochī, "snack") often means choosing several small items rather than ordering one complete meal.

Other meanings

  • street foodnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 小吃店xiǎo chī diànsnack shopnoun
  • 小吃摊xiǎo chī tānsnack stallnoun
  • 小吃街xiǎo chī jiēfood streetnoun

Word lists with this word