Menu in Chinese: characters, dish names and a sample Chinese menu

"Menu" in Chinese is 菜单 (càidān) in Simplified characters, or 菜單 in Traditional. Simplified characters are read in mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia; Traditional characters in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Chinese dish names usually describe how the dish is cooked and what's in it, such as 蛋炒饭 (egg fried rice: egg, stir-fried, rice), so a word-for-word translation of an English name rarely reads right. Menuthere's Chinese menu uses Simplified characters, and you can write your own Chinese names for the dishes that matter.

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Simplified vs Traditional characters

The same word can look quite different in the two systems. Choose the one your customers read.

Menuthere's 中文 option is Simplified Chinese. For a Hong Kong or Taiwan audience, type Traditional names as your dishes' second names: they show exactly as you typed them.

How Chinese dish names are built

Chinese menus name a dish by what happens to it and what's in it. Learn the cooking words and most menus become readable.

Foreign dishes are named by sound, by meaning, or both: 汉堡 (hamburger), 披萨 (pizza), 咖喱 (curry), 三明治 (sandwich). Curry chicken is 咖喱鸡: curry first, then the meat.

Romanization on English menus. Many dishes reached English through Cantonese or Hokkien, so English menus in Singapore and Malaysia write char kway teow (炒粿条), bak kut teh (肉骨茶) and char siu (叉烧), not the Mandarin pinyin. Use the spelling your customers already know.

Useful Chinese menu words

Example: a Chinese menu section

A short sample for a Singapore or Malaysia café, in Simplified Chinese.

Who needs a Chinese menu

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Set up a Chinese menu in Menuthere

1. Add Chinese names to your main dishes (every plan). Edit Hainanese chicken rice in Menu, tap Add secondary name and type 海南鸡饭 (or 海南雞飯 for Traditional readers). It shows under the dish name, and on the cart and order.
2. Offer 中文 on the language button (Lite). Go to Settings → Store details → Currency & Language, enable Offer other languages and select 中文. Chinese readers then see your Chinese names in place of the automatic translation.
3. Choose the opening language. Leave Primary language on English (as written) for a mixed crowd, or set 中文 if most customers read Chinese. Each customer's own choice is remembered.
4. Read it on a phone, ideally with a customer or staff member who reads Chinese.

Good to know: each dish has one second name. If you also offer Japanese, remember that a second name made only of Chinese characters shows on the Japanese menu too.

Chinese menu checklist

• One character set for the whole menu (Simplified or Traditional).
• Dish names built the Chinese way (method or flavor + ingredient), checked by a reader.
• Familiar romanizations kept on the English side (char kway teow, not a new spelling).
• Spicy dishes marked 辣.
• Allergens and halal tagged on each dish.

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