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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "appetizer" in Chinese?
开胃菜
kāi wèi cài
In Chinese, "appetizer" is 开胃菜 (kāi wèi cài).
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Pronunciation
Say "kāi wèi cài" — "kāi" is flat and level, held steady (tone 1); "wèi" is falling fast and sharp, like a command (tone 4), and finally "cài" is falling fast and sharp, like a command (tone 4).
Writing and usage
开胃菜 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
晚饭前我们分享了开胃菜。
wǎn fàn qián wǒ men fēn xiǎng le kāi wèi cài 。
We shared an appetizer before dinner.
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How to remember 开胃菜
Whisper "kāi wèi cài" to yourself while picturing the word in action — that pairing helps "开胃菜" (kāi wèi cài) stay put.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 开胃菜
How do you pronounce 开胃菜?
Say "kāi wèi cài" — "kāi" is flat and level, held steady (tone 1); "wèi" is falling fast and sharp, like a command (tone 4), and finally "cài" is falling fast and sharp, like a command (tone 4).
Is 开胃菜 formal or casual?
开胃菜 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 开胃菜 used in Chinese?
开胃菜 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 晚饭前我们分享了开胃菜。 (We shared an appetizer before dinner.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
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"Appetizer" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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