“Enjoy your meal” in Chinese: how to say it and how to write it
Enjoy your meal
The closest thing to “enjoy your meal” or “bon appétit” in Chinese is 慢慢吃, mànmàn chī — roughly “mahn mahn chr”. Literally it means “eat slowly, take your time”. Chinese has no exact equivalent of the wish: there is no word for “appetite” in these phrases, and what you say depends on who you are at the table — the host, a guest or the waiter.
How to say “enjoy your meal” in Chinese
- 慢慢吃mànmànchītake your time eatingto friends and family, at home or in a café
- 请慢用qǐngmànyòngplease enjoy, take your timea waiter to guests
- 多吃点duōchīdiǎneat some morea host to a guest
- 开动吧kāidòngbalet’s dig inonce everyone is seated
- 吃吧chībaeat, let’s eatthe simplest
慢慢吃 is the closest in meaning. People say it when they put food on the table, and also when they have finished and get up while the others are still eating: “you go on, no rush”. 请慢用 is a set phrase of service: the waiter says it when bringing a dish. You don’t say it back — a simple 谢谢 is enough.
多吃点 is the host taking care of you: in a Chinese home a guest is fed insistently, and you will hear “eat some more” again and again. 开动吧 and 吃吧 are the signal to start: everyone is here, you can pick up your chopsticks. Usually the oldest person at the table, or whoever invited everyone, gives it first.
How to pronounce 慢慢吃
慢 is the fourth tone: the voice drops short. 吃 is the first, high and level. The chi is not the English “chee”: the tongue tip is curled back, and the vowel is not “ee” but a buzzing sound, so it comes out close to “chr”. In everyday speech the second 慢 is often said higher and flatter — don’t be surprised to hear “màn mān”. How the other syllables are read is shown in the pinyin chart.
How to write 慢慢吃
- 慢mànslow, slowly
- 吃chīto eat
The phrase has three characters but only two different ones. 慢 is repeated: doubling softens the word, so it is not an order, “slowly!”, but “take it easy, no hurry”. On the left of 慢 is the “heart” radical 忄. 吃 has the “mouth” 口 on the left, which is an easy hint that the word has to do with food. You can practice both characters stroke by stroke in the writing worksheets.
How to answer and what to say about the food
- 好吃hǎochīdelicious, tasty
- 我吃饱了wǒchībǎoleI’m full
The answer to 慢慢吃 is simple: 好, or 你也吃 — “you eat too”. No need for a “you too” in the English sense. Praising the food, on the other hand, is always welcome: 好吃, literally “good to eat”. Stronger — 很好吃 or 太好吃了, “really delicious”.
When you can’t eat any more, say 我吃饱了: here is the result of the action, “ate until full”. It is also the polite way to turn down the second (and third) helpings you will be offered. More phrases for restaurants are in the article “Chinese phrases for travelers”.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “enjoy your meal” in Chinese?
“Enjoy your meal” in Chinese is 慢慢吃, in pinyin mànmàn chī.
How do you pronounce 慢慢吃?
慢慢吃 is read mànmàn chī. The marks over the vowels are the tones: each syllable has its own melody, so listen to the recording on this page and repeat it.
How do you write “enjoy your meal” in Chinese characters?
慢慢吃 is 3 characters. What each one means and how the phrase is put together is explained on this page.
What does 慢慢吃 mean?
慢慢吃 (mànmàn chī) means “enjoy your meal”.
Order a meal in Chinese
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