Desserts & Sweets in Chinese 甜品
tiánpǐn
Dessert in Chinese is 甜品 (tián pǐn).
Also searched for as: dessert, cake, sweets, candy.
Got room for something sweet? 15 essential desserts & sweets 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.
Chinese has a few overlapping words for sweet things: 甜品 (tián pǐn) is a dessert, 甜食 (tián shí) is sweet food in general, and 糖果 (táng guǒ) are sweets or candy. Alongside treats like 蛋糕 (dàn gāo) and 冰淇淋 (bīng qí lín), you'll find festival favourites such as 月饼 (yuè bǐng), mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and 汤圆 (tāng yuán), sweet rice balls for the Lantern Festival.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 甜品 | tián pǐn | dessert |
| 冰淇淋 | bīng qí lín | ice cream |
| 蛋糕 | dàn gāo | cake |
| 饼干 | bǐng gān | biscuit |
| 巧克力 | qiǎo kè lì | chocolate |
| 糖果 | táng guǒ | sweets; candy |
| 布丁 | bù dīng | pudding |
| 月饼 | yuè bǐng | mooncake |
| 汤圆 | tāng yuán | sweet rice balls |
| 蛋挞 | dàn tà | egg tart |
| 甜甜圈 | tián tián quān | doughnut |
| 奶油 | nǎi yóu | cream |
| 太甜了 | tài tián le | too sweet |
| 甜食 | tián shí | sweet food |
| 减糖 | jiǎn táng | to cut down on sugar |
Usage tips
- One of the highest compliments for a dessert in China is 不太甜 (bù tài tián), 'not too sweet', as many people prefer less sugary flavours than are common in the UK or US.
- 太甜了 (tài tián le) is the usual complaint, but 甜 can also be a compliment for a sweet smile or voice: 她笑得很甜 (tā xiào de hěn tián).
- Mooncakes are often given in decorative boxes as gifts before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and 蛋挞 (dàn tà), egg tarts, are a classic of Cantonese bakeries.
Common mistakes
- Saying 我有甜牙 for 'I have a sweet tooth': it's a literal translation that doesn't work. Say 我爱吃甜食 (wǒ ài chī tián shí) or 我喜欢吃甜的 (wǒ xǐ huan chī tián de).
- Assuming 点心 (diǎn xin) means dessert: it covers pastries and dim sum, many of them savoury, so for something sweet after a meal ask for 甜品 (tián pǐn).
Mini dialogue
- A吃完饭了，来个甜品吧？Chī wán fàn le, lái gè tián pǐn ba?We've finished eating. Shall we have dessert?
- B好啊！我要一个芒果布丁。Hǎo a! Wǒ yào yī gè máng guǒ bù dīng.Yes! I'll have a mango pudding.
- A我想吃巧克力蛋糕，不过可能太甜了。Wǒ xiǎng chī qiǎo kè lì dàn gāo, bù guò kě néng tài tián le.I fancy the chocolate cake, but it might be too sweet.
- B没事，我们一起吃吧！Méi shì, wǒ men yī qǐ chī ba!Never mind, let's share it!
Example sentences
- 饭后来个甜品吧。Let's have dessert after the meal.
- 我要一个巧克力冰淇淋。I'd like a chocolate ice cream.
- 这个蛋糕是我自己做的。I made this cake myself.
- 饼干配茶很好吃。Biscuits go well with tea.
- 她最喜欢黑巧克力。Dark chocolate is her favourite.
- 孩子们都爱吃糖果。All children love sweets.
- 这个芒果布丁很好吃。This mango pudding is delicious.
- 中秋节吃月饼。You eat mooncakes at Mid-Autumn.
- 元宵节要吃汤圆。You eat sweet rice balls at the Lantern Festival.
- 广东的蛋挞很有名。Cantonese egg tarts are famous.
- 早上吃了一个甜甜圈。I had a doughnut this morning.
- 蛋糕上有很多奶油。There's lots of cream on the cake.
- 这个太甜了，我吃不了。This is too sweet, I can't eat it.
- 我爱吃甜食。I've got a sweet tooth.
- 医生让我减糖。The doctor told me to cut down on sugar.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Desserts & sweets speaking island has 8 everyday questions about desserts & sweets to prepare your own answers to.