Mandarin Monday: Elevate Your Burger Vocabulary With This Lingo

      Mandarin Monday is a regular segment designed to help you enhance your Chinese by providing fun and useful phrases and characters.

      With our Juicy Burger Fest happening in just under three weeks, there's still time to polish your Chinese vocabulary for ordering the ideal burger. From expressing how you prefer your burger cooked to inquiring about specific toppings and condiments, these terms and phrases will definitely elevate your burger experience!

      First, burger in Chinese is 汉堡 hànbǎo, which is short for 汉堡包 hànbǎobāo – literally translating to “Hamburg bun.” Similarly to English, where most simply say “burger” instead of “hamburger,” in China, the second “bao” is often omitted.

      Types of Burgers

      Whether you prefer beef or plant-based options, here are some of the most common types of burgers in Chinese:

      - Beef burger: 牛肉汉堡 niúròu hànbǎo

      - Cheeseburger: 芝士汉堡 zhīshì hànbǎo or 奶酪汉堡 nǎilào hànbǎo

      - Bacon cheeseburger: 培根芝士汉堡 péigēn zhīshì hànbǎo or 培根奶酪汉堡 péigēn nǎilào hànbǎo

      - Chicken burger: 鸡肉汉堡 jīròu hànbǎo

      - Fish burger: 炸鱼汉堡 zhà yú hànbǎo

      - Pulled pork burger: 手撕猪肉汉堡 shǒusī zhūròu hànbǎo

      - Veggie burger: 素(食)汉堡 sù(shí) hànbǎo or 蔬菜汉堡 shūcài hànbǎo

      - Double patty burger: 双层汉堡 shuāngcéng hànbǎo

      Basic Burger Phrases

      - Can I order a burger? 我可以点个汉堡吗？ wǒ kěyǐ diǎn gè hànbǎo ma?

      - I’d like a classic burger. 我想点经典汉堡。wǒ xiǎng diǎn jīngdiǎn hànbǎo.

      - What is your signature burger? 招牌汉堡是什么？zhāopái hànbǎo shì shénme?

      - Do you have a veggie burger? 你们有素汉堡吗？nǐmen yǒu sù hànbǎo ma?

      Common Burger Ingredients and Add-Ons

      - Patty: 肉饼 ròubǐng

      - Burger bun: 汉堡胚 hànbǎo pēi

      - Bacon: 培根 péigēn

      - Cheese: 芝士 zhīshì or 奶酪 nǎilào

      - Lettuce: 生菜 shēngcài

      - Tomato: 西红柿 xīhóngshì or 番茄 fānqié

      - Pickles: 酸黄瓜 suān huángguā

      - Onion: 洋葱 yángcōng

      - Fried egg: 煎蛋 jiāndàn

      - Onion rings: 洋葱圈 yángcōngquān

      - Avocado: 牛油果 niúyóuguǒ

      - Pineapple: 菠萝 bōluó

      Sauces

      - Ketchup: 番茄酱 fānqiéjiàng

      - Mustard: 芥末酱 jièmòjiàng

      - Mayonnaise: 蛋黄酱 dànghuángjiàng

      - BBQ sauce: 烧烤酱 shāokǎojiàng

      - Hot sauce: 辣酱 làjiàng

      Personalizing Your Burger

      Having the option to customize your burger is important. Here are some key phrases:

      - How do you like your patty cooked? 肉饼要几成熟？ ròubǐng yào jǐchéng shú?

      - Medium rare: 三分熟 sānfēn shú

      - Medium: 五分熟 wǔfēn shú

      - Medium well: 七分熟 qīfēn shú

      - Well done: 全熟 quánshú

      - Don’t add: 别放 bié fàng / 不要放 bùyào fàng

       Example: Please don't add ketchup: 请别放番茄酱。 qǐng bié fàng fānqié jiàng.

      - Add more: 多放 duōfàng

       Example: Please add more cheese. 请多放芝士 qǐng duōfàng zhīshì.

      - Add less: