Wet Market & Food Market in Chinese 菜市场
càishìchǎng
Food market in Chinese is 菜市场 (cài shì chǎng).
Also searched for as: market, wet market, farmers market, bargaining.
Where do you buy it fresh, and haggle? 15 essential at the market words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
A 菜市场 (cài shì chǎng) is a fresh food market, the kind called a wet market in Singapore and Malaysia, where people buy vegetables, meat and fish from individual stalls. The most useful phrase here is 怎么卖 (zěn me mài), literally 'how sell?', the natural way to ask a price, and you'll hear stallholders called 老板 (lǎo bǎn), 'boss', whether or not they own the business.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 菜市场 | cài shì chǎng | wet market; food market |
| 摊位 | tān wèi | stall |
| 老板 | lǎo bǎn | boss; stallholder |
| 怎么卖 | zěn me mài | how much is it (per unit)? |
| 一斤 | yī jīn | half a kilo (one jin) |
| 称 | chēng | to weigh |
| 便宜点儿 | pián yi diǎnr | a bit cheaper |
| 讲价 | jiǎng jià | to haggle |
| 太贵了 | tài guì le | too expensive |
| 新鲜 | xīn xiān | fresh |
| 挑 | tiāo | to pick; to choose |
| 送你 | sòng nǐ | for free (to you) |
| 塑料袋 | sù liào dài | plastic bag |
| 零钱 | líng qián | small change |
| 扫码 | sǎo mǎ | to scan a QR code (to pay) |
Usage tips
- 怎么卖 (zěn me mài) asks how something is priced, usually per 斤 (jīn), so the answer is often something like 五块一斤 (wǔ kuài yī jīn), five yuan a jin.
- Haggling at fresh food stalls is gentle: 便宜点儿吧 (pián yi diǎnr ba) might get you a little off or a free handful of spring onions rather than a big discount.
- If a stallholder says 送你 (sòng nǐ), the extra item is free, and 谢谢老板 (xiè xie lǎo bǎn) is the natural way to thank them.
Common mistakes
- Calling a stallholder 服务员 (fú wù yuán), which is for restaurant staff; at a market say 老板 (lǎo bǎn), or 阿姨 (ā yí) for an older woman.
- Asking for 二斤 (èr jīn); before measure words use 两 (liǎng), so ask for 两斤 (liǎng jīn), which is one kilo.
Mini dialogue
- A老板，西红柿怎么卖？Lǎo bǎn, xī hóng shì zěn me mài?Boss, how much are the tomatoes?
- B五块一斤，很新鲜。Wǔ kuài yī jīn, hěn xīn xiān.Five yuan a jin, they're very fresh.
- A便宜点儿吧，我要两斤。Pián yi diǎnr ba, wǒ yào liǎng jīn.Can you do them a bit cheaper? I'll take two jin.
- B好吧，九块。这根葱送你了。Hǎo ba, jiǔ kuài. Zhè gēn cōng sòng nǐ le.All right, nine yuan. Have this spring onion for free.
- A谢谢老板！可以扫码吗？Xiè xie lǎo bǎn! Kě yǐ sǎo mǎ ma?Thanks! Can I pay by QR code?
Example sentences
- 奶奶每天早上去菜市场。Grandma goes to the market every morning.
- 这个摊位的菜很新鲜。The vegetables at this stall are very fresh.
- 老板，西红柿怎么卖？Boss, how much are the tomatoes?
- 这个苹果怎么卖？How much are these apples?
- 一斤多少钱？How much is it per jin?
- 帮我称一下。Weigh this for me, please.
- 便宜点儿吧！Can you do it a bit cheaper?
- 在市场可以讲价。You can haggle at the market.
- 太贵了，我不要了。It's too expensive, I'll leave it.
- 这鱼是今天的，很新鲜。This fish is today's, very fresh.
- 你自己挑吧。Pick them out yourself.
- 这根葱送你了。Have this spring onion for free.
- 要塑料袋吗？Do you want a plastic bag?
- 你有零钱吗？Do you have any change?
- 可以扫码吗？Can I pay by QR code?
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The At the market speaking island has 8 everyday questions about at the market to prepare your own answers to.