How do you say "waiter" in Chinese?

服务员

fú wù yuán

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "waiter" is 服务员 (fú wù yuán).

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Pronunciation

Say "fú wù yuán" — "fú" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2); "wù" is falling fast and sharp, like a command (tone 4), and finally "yuán" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2).

Writing and usage

服务员 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

服务员把我们的餐点端到了桌上。

fú wù yuán bǎ wǒ men de cān diǎn duān dào le zhuō shàng 。

The waiter brought our meals to the table.

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How to remember 服务员

Say "fú wù yuán" out loud three times fast — the repetition alone tends to cement "服务员" (fú wù yuán) in memory.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 服务员

How do you pronounce 服务员?

Say "fú wù yuán" — "fú" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2); "wù" is falling fast and sharp, like a command (tone 4), and finally "yuán" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2).

Is 服务员 formal or casual?

服务员 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 服务员 used in Chinese?

服务员 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 服务员把我们的餐点端到了桌上。 (The waiter brought our meals to the table.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Waiter" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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