Ninchanese
As a meat-eater, you’ll find yourself in heaven in China. There are all sorts of meats to discover and eat! And by all sorts, we really do mean all sorts, including parts you perhaps seldom eat. So, to make deciphering a Chinese menu easier, there’s a whole new stage on Ninchanese dedicated to meats! To give you a taste, here’s a list of the essential Chinese meat vocabulary to know … and that you’ll be learning on the app. Warning: this list of Chinese words for meat may make you very hungry!
Photo by Natalie Ng
Ready to learn how to say different cuts of meat in Chinese? So you can easily order yummy slices of meat for your next 火锅 huǒ guō hot pot? Or finally, know what kind of meat is in Chinese dumplings? Then Chinese Meat recipes will hold no secret for you!
First, let’s see how to say meat in Chinese as well as Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Lamb, Duck, Veal, and Beef in Chinese.
And no, don’t even ask, we won’t be talking about cat meat in Chinese or any other kind of strange meat (it seems like people look up rat meat in Chinese? The horror). Dog Meat is sometimes eaten in winter because it’s super caloric meat to eat, but we’ve never come across any other type, so enough with the rumors! Alright? Here we go.
Types of Meat in Chinese
Photo by Usman Yousaf
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
| 肉 | ròu | meat |
| 猪肉 | zhū ròu | pork |
| 牛肉 | niú ròu | beef |
| 小牛肉 | xiǎo niú ròu | veal |
| 火鸡 | huǒ jī | turkey |
| 鸡肉 | jī ròu | chicken meat |
| 羊肉 | yáng ròu | lamb |
| 鸭 | yā | duck |
Good to know: In China, you’ll often come across dish names that simply say 肉 ròu Meat. In most restaurants (the obvious exception being Halal Uyghur restaurants ), 肉 will by default be pork. That’s because, traditionally, pork is the most consumed meat (or at least was in the past).
If you’re not sure whether it’s going to be pork or not or are trying to avoid eating pork, better check with your waiter/waitress first!
You’ll also often just see 鸡 jī chicken, 鸭 yā duck, 羊 yáng lamb, mutton, 牛 niú Beef on their own, without the 肉 thrown in, on a menu. So you might not see duck meat in Chinese, but you’ll definitely see 鸭 and a favorite, 烤鸭 yā Roast Duck!
Cuts of Meat in Chinese
Chinese Meat Skewers Photo by Chuan
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
| 串 | chuàn | skewer |
| 里脊 | lǐ ji | tenderloin; meat loin |
| 牛排 | niú pái | steak |
| 肉片 | ròu piàn | meat slice |
| 肉馅 | ròu xiàn | meat filling |
| 碎肉 | suì ròu | chopped meat |
| 肉丝 | ròu sī | shredded meat (often pork) |
| 肉末 | ròu mò | ground meat; minced meat |
Love meat skewers? You’re going to love these other street food dishes, then, we bet!
Chicken wings in Chinese and more chicken parts
Chicken Wings are a very loved Chinese food – Photo by George Zheng.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
| 胸肉 | xiōng ròu | breast meat (chicken breast) |
| 鸡排 | jī pái | chicken chop; cutlet |
| 鸡翅 | jī chì | chicken wing |
| 鸡腿 | jī tuǐ | chicken leg; drumstick |
Curious to know how to say scallion in Chinese or cilantro? Check out these Chinese food lists then!
More of a hands-on learner? Then learn directly how to say meat, scallion, and more in Chinese: the Chinese Food World on Ninchanese will teach you and much more!
Just a few of the many things you can learn in the Chinese food course on Ninchanese
Now, let’s get back to our Chinese words for meats.
Parts of Pork in Chinese and Pig Meat-based Products
Pork Meat is often used in Chinese Dumplings – Photo by Alex Hu
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
| 猪排 | zhū pái | pork ribs; pork chop |
| 排骨 | pái gǔ | pork chop; pork cutlet; spare ribs |
| 叉烧 | chā shāo | char siu; barbecued pork |
| 肉松 | ròu sōng | pork floss (shredded dry pork) |
| 火腿 | huǒ tuǐ | ham |
| 香肠 | xiāng cháng | sausage |
| 火腿肠 | huǒ tuǐ cháng | ham sausage |
Want to learn how to read and say all these meats in Simplified and Traditional Chinese? The Chinese Meats Vocabulary Stage in the Chinese Food World is waiting for you!
The Chinese Cooking World is made for foodies learning Chinese!
Want also to know how to order these meats and other dishes from a restaurant? The Chinese Food World is what you need. Check it out here!
The Nincha Team
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