Coffee Shop & Ordering Coffee in Chinese 咖啡店
kāfēidiàn
Coffee shop in Chinese is 咖啡店 (kā fēi diàn).
Also searched for as: coffee, cafe, latte, order coffee.
Where do you get your coffee? 15 essential at the coffee shop 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.
Coffee is now a big part of city life in China, and a 咖啡店 (kā fēi diàn) is as easy to find as a teahouse. Most coffee names are borrowed by sound, like 拿铁 (ná tiě), latte, and 卡布奇诺 (kǎ bù qí nuò), cappuccino. The question you'll hear at almost every counter is 堂食还是外带？ (táng shí hái shi wài dài?), 'Eat in or takeaway?', so it's worth knowing before you queue.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 咖啡店 | kā fēi diàn | coffee shop |
| 拿铁 | ná tiě | latte |
| 美式咖啡 | měi shì kā fēi | Americano |
| 卡布奇诺 | kǎ bù qí nuò | cappuccino |
| 大杯 | dà bēi | large (size) |
| 中杯 | zhōng bēi | medium (size) |
| 加糖 | jiā táng | to add sugar |
| 少冰 | shǎo bīng | less ice |
| 外带 | wài dài | takeaway |
| 堂食 | táng shí | to eat in |
| 吸管 | xī guǎn | straw |
| 燕麦奶 | yàn mài nǎi | oat milk |
| 蛋糕 | dàn gāo | cake |
| 咖啡因 | kā fēi yīn | caffeine |
| 提神 | tí shén | to perk up; to wake you up |
Usage tips
- Sizes are 大杯 (dà bēi), 中杯 (zhōng bēi) and 小杯 (xiǎo bēi), though some chains use their own names; 冰 (bīng), 'iced', or 热 (rè), 'hot', goes before the drink: 冰拿铁 (bīng ná tiě).
- Requests like 少冰 (shǎo bīng), 'less ice', 去冰 (qù bīng), 'no ice', and 少糖 (shǎo táng), 'less sugar', are standard in milk tea and coffee shops alike; put them after the drink name.
- 带走 (dài zǒu), literally 'take away', is a simple alternative to 外带 (wài dài) that everyone understands.
Common mistakes
- Ordering a 美国咖啡: an Americano is 美式咖啡 (měi shì kā fēi), literally 'American-style coffee', while 美国咖啡 would mean coffee from the USA.
- Reading 咖 as kǎ because of 卡布奇诺 (kǎ bù qí nuò): in 咖啡 it's first tone, kā fēi.
Mini dialogue
- A你好，要喝点儿什么？Nǐ hǎo, yào hē diǎnr shén me?Hi, what can I get you?
- B一杯冰拿铁，可以换燕麦奶吗？Yī bēi bīng ná tiě, kě yǐ huàn yàn mài nǎi ma?An iced latte, please. Can I have it with oat milk?
- A可以。大杯还是中杯？Kě yǐ. Dà bēi hái shi zhōng bēi?Sure. Large or medium?
- B中杯，外带。Zhōng bēi, wài dài.Medium, to take away.
Example sentences
- 公司楼下有一家咖啡店。There's a café below the office.
- 一杯热拿铁，谢谢。A hot latte, please.
- 我要一杯冰美式咖啡。I'll have an iced Americano.
- 这里的卡布奇诺很好喝。The cappuccino here is great.
- 要大杯还是中杯？Large or medium?
- 中杯就够了。A medium is enough.
- 要加糖吗？Do you want sugar?
- 一杯奶茶，少冰。A milk tea, light ice.
- 堂食还是外带？Eat in or takeaway?
- 我们堂食。We'll eat in.
- 请给我一根吸管。Please give me a straw.
- 可以换燕麦奶吗？Can I swap to oat milk?
- 再来一块巧克力蛋糕。And a slice of chocolate cake.
- 晚上我不喝咖啡因。I don't have caffeine in the evening.
- 喝杯咖啡提提神。Have a coffee to wake yourself up.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The At the coffee shop speaking island has 8 everyday questions about at the coffee shop to prepare your own answers to.