Drinks in Chinese 饮料
yǐnliào
Drinks in Chinese is 饮料 (yǐn liào).
Also searched for as: water, beverages, juice, drink.
What are you drinking? 15 essential drinks 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.
Ordering a drink is one of the first things you'll do in Chinese, and 饮料 (yǐn liào) is the general word for drinks, especially soft drinks. Tea is central to Chinese culture, but be careful with colours: 红茶 (hóng chá), literally 'red tea', is what English speakers call black tea. You'll also need 热水 (rè shuǐ) and 冰 (bīng), because whether a drink is hot or iced really matters in China.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 饮料 | yǐn liào | drink |
| 茶 | chá | tea |
| 绿茶 | lǜ chá | green tea |
| 红茶 | hóng chá | black tea |
| 咖啡 | kā fēi | coffee |
| 果汁 | guǒ zhī | juice |
| 可乐 | kě lè | cola |
| 矿泉水 | kuàng quán shuǐ | mineral water |
| 热水 | rè shuǐ | hot water |
| 冰 | bīng | ice |
| 啤酒 | pí jiǔ | beer |
| 葡萄酒 | pú tao jiǔ | wine |
| 酒 | jiǔ | alcohol |
| 奶茶 | nǎi chá | milk tea |
| 豆浆 | dòu jiāng | soy milk |
Usage tips
- Plain hot water is a common drink in China, especially when you have a cold, and restaurants may serve it by default, so ask for 冰水 (bīng shuǐ) if you'd like it cold.
- Use 杯 (bēi) for cups and glasses, 瓶 (píng) for bottles and 罐 (guàn) for cans: 一瓶矿泉水 (yī píng kuàng quán shuǐ), 一罐可乐 (yī guàn kě lè).
- 酒 (jiǔ) covers all alcohol, so 喝酒 (hē jiǔ) means drinking in general; 白酒 (bái jiǔ) is Chinese grain spirit, not white wine, which is 白葡萄酒 (bái pú tao jiǔ).
Common mistakes
- Ordering 黑茶 for black tea: 黑茶 (hēi chá) is a separate category of fermented tea, while British-style tea is 红茶 (hóng chá).
- Translating 'go for a drink' with 饮料: to suggest a social drink, say 去喝一杯 (qù hē yī bēi) or 去喝酒 (qù hē jiǔ).
Mini dialogue
- A你想喝什么饮料？Nǐ xiǎng hē shén me yǐn liào?What would you like to drink?
- B一杯红茶，加牛奶。Yī bēi hóng chá, jiā niú nǎi.A black tea with milk, please.
- A我要一杯可乐，不要加冰。Wǒ yào yī bēi kě lè, bù yào jiā bīng.I'll have a cola, no ice.
- B你不是说要少喝可乐吗？Nǐ bù shì shuō yào shǎo hē kě lè ma?Didn't you say you were cutting down on cola?
Example sentences
- 你想喝什么饮料？What drink would you like?
- 中国人喜欢喝茶。Chinese people like drinking tea.
- 夏天我常喝绿茶。I often drink green tea in summer.
- 我想要一杯红茶加牛奶。I'd like a black tea with milk.
- 我每天早上喝一杯咖啡。I have a cup of coffee every morning.
- 孩子们想喝果汁。The children want some juice.
- 吃汉堡的时候我喜欢喝可乐。I like drinking cola with a burger.
- 请给我一瓶矿泉水。A bottle of mineral water, please.
- 感冒了要多喝热水。When you have a cold, drink plenty of hot water.
- 我的可乐不要加冰。No ice in my cola, please.
- 天热的时候喝啤酒很舒服。A beer is lovely when it's hot.
- 晚饭时他们喝了一点儿葡萄酒。They had a little wine with dinner.
- 开车不能喝酒。You mustn't drink alcohol if you're driving.
- 这家奶茶店每天都排长队。There's a long queue at this milk tea shop every day.
- 北方人早上常喝豆浆。Northerners often drink soy milk in the morning.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Drinks speaking island has 8 everyday questions about drinks to prepare your own answers to.