HSK · Level 1
130 words
Chinese word
餐
Pronunciation
Pinyincān
Meaning
- nounmeal
Example
他每天准时吃两餐。tā měi tiān zhǔn shí chī liǎng cān
He has two meals at regular times every day.
More examples
吃完别忘了收拾餐具。chī wán bié wàng le shōu shí cān jù
Don't forget to put away the dishes after you finish eating.
Core concept
A single eating occasion that forms one regular slot in the day's routine.
Common phrases
早餐zǎo cān
breakfast
午餐wǔ cān
lunch
晚餐wǎn cān
dinner
快餐kuài cān
fast food
餐厅cān tīng
restaurant
Similar words
饭fàn: A single meal in everyday speech.
午饭wǔ fàn: A casual spoken term for the midday meal.
晚饭wǎn fàn: A casual spoken term for the evening meal.
Definition in Chinese
表示日常生活中按时进行的各次进餐，常用来指一天中的固定餐别，例如早餐、午餐、晚餐。biǎo shì rì cháng shēng huó zhōng àn shí jìn xíng de gè cì jìn cān cháng yòng lái zhǐ yì tiān zhōng de gù dìng cān bié lì rú zǎo cān wǔ cān wǎn cān
Word origin
餐 (cān, "meal") preserves an old character structure associated with food, while its non-food portion functions as the historical phonetic element.
Usage tips
- In everyday Chinese, this word is especially useful for recognizing compound names and counts of daily eating occasions, while casual speech may choose a more ordinary expression for the same idea.