Seasonings & Tastes in Chinese 调料
tiáoliào
Seasoning in Chinese is 调料 (tiáo liào).
Also searched for as: seasoning, spicy, salt sugar, soy sauce, taste.
What gives it flavour? 15 essential seasonings & tastes 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.
Seasoning in Chinese is 调料 (tiáo liào), and taste words are some of the most useful you can learn at the table. The everyday phrase 酸甜苦辣 (suān tián kǔ là), 'sour, sweet, bitter, spicy', even describes life's ups and downs, while staples like 酱油 (jiàng yóu), soy sauce, and the tingling 花椒 (huā jiāo), Sichuan pepper, explain why so many Chinese dishes taste the way they do.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 调料 | tiáo liào | seasoning |
| 盐 | yán | salt |
| 糖 | táng | sugar |
| 酱油 | jiàng yóu | soy sauce |
| 醋 | cù | vinegar |
| 油 | yóu | oil |
| 胡椒 | hú jiāo | pepper |
| 花椒 | huā jiāo | Sichuan pepper |
| 姜 | jiāng | ginger |
| 味道 | wèi dao | taste |
| 咸 | xián | salty |
| 甜 | tián | sweet |
| 酸 | suān | sour |
| 辣 | là | spicy |
| 苦 | kǔ | bitter |
Usage tips
- The numbing heat of Sichuan food is 麻辣 (má là): 麻 (má) is the tingle from 花椒 (huā jiāo), and 辣 (là) is the chilli burn.
- 醋 (cù) also appears in 吃醋 (chī cù), literally 'eat vinegar', which means to feel jealous, usually in a relationship.
- When ordering, say 不要辣 (bù yào là) for no chilli or 微辣 (wēi là) for mildly spicy, though even 微辣 can be quite hot in Sichuan or Hunan restaurants.
Common mistakes
- Using 热 (rè), hot, to mean spicy; 热 only describes temperature, and spicy is 辣 (là).
- Asking for 烟 (yān), cigarettes, when you want 盐 (yán), salt; the second tone rises, as in 请给我盐 (qǐng gěi wǒ yán).
Mini dialogue
- A你能吃辣吗？Nǐ néng chī là ma?Can you eat spicy food?
- B能吃一点儿，可是不太能吃花椒。Néng chī yī diǎnr, kě shì bù tài néng chī huā jiāo.A bit, but I can't really handle Sichuan pepper.
- A那这个菜味道怎么样？Nà zhè ge cài wèi dao zěn me yàng?So how does this dish taste?
- B很好吃，就是有点儿咸。Hěn hǎo chī, jiù shì yǒu diǎnr xián.It's delicious, just a bit salty.
Example sentences
- 厨房里的调料都用完了。We've run out of seasonings in the kitchen.
- 汤里盐放多了。There's too much salt in the soup.
- 你的咖啡要加糖吗？Do you take sugar in your coffee?
- 炒饭的时候放一点儿酱油。Add a little soy sauce to the fried rice.
- 吃饺子要蘸醋。You dip dumplings in vinegar.
- 这个菜油太多了。This dish is too oily.
- 汤里加点儿胡椒更香。Adding a bit of pepper makes the soup tastier.
- 花椒吃了嘴会麻。Sichuan pepper makes your mouth go numb.
- 感冒了喝点儿姜汤吧。Have some ginger soup if you've got a cold.
- 这个菜味道怎么样？How does this dish taste?
- 这个菜有点儿咸。This dish is a bit salty.
- 这个蛋糕太甜了。This cake is too sweet.
- 这个橙子好酸啊！This orange is so sour!
- 你能吃辣吗？Can you eat spicy food?
- 这杯咖啡太苦了。This coffee is too bitter.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Seasonings & tastes speaking island has 8 everyday questions about seasonings & tastes to prepare your own answers to.