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What does diǎncài (点菜) mean in a Chinese restaurant?

Diǎncài (点菜) means to order food.

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  1. To order food ✔
  2. To pay the bill
  3. To ask for water

Why: Diǎn (点) means to point or choose, and cài (菜) means dishes or food. Wǒ yào diǎncài (我要点菜) means I would like to order.

Huh, didn't know that: Cài (菜) can mean vegetable, but it also means a dish of food.

The dad joke
I took so long to diǎncài that the menu started reading me.
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References

Answer: To order food. Diǎn (点) means to point or choose, and cài (菜) means dishes or food. Wǒ yào diǎncài (我要点菜) means I would like to order.

  1. MDBG Chinese-English Dictionary: 点菜 www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdrst=0&wdqb=%E7%82%B9%E8%8F%9C
    to order dishes (in a restaurant)
    Checked 2026-10-12.
  2. MDBG Chinese-English Dictionary: 菜 www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdrst=0&wdqb=%E8%8F%9C
    vegetable; greens
    Checked 2026-10-12.

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