Learn Chinese · 03 · about 8 minutes

Ordering food in Changsha

Small local restaurants, a chilli scale with a sense of humour, and six lines that solve almost every practical problem. No restaurant names, no invented prices — just the words. Last checked: 2026-11.

Reading these pages in your own language

The instructions are in English, but every Chinese line is given in characters + pinyin + a plain-English meaning. Pinyin is a pronunciation alphabet, not a translation — so the phrases work the same way whatever language you read. The home page is available in 53 languages; use the language button at the bottom right of any page.

The chilli scale, honestly

Hunan cooking is direct heat rather than Sichuan's numbing-spice. The chilli guide makes the same point; the short version is: start one level below what you think you need.

不辣bù làno chilliAsk clearly — in Hunan it may still arrive with chilli in the oil.

微辣wēi làmildThe safest first order. In Changsha this is often 'medium' elsewhere.

中辣zhōng làmediumA real step up. Try it only after you have survived 微辣.

特辣tè làextra hotBest left to locals unless you know what you are doing.

The line that actually helps is 不要辣 bú yào là ('no chilli') with a smile, or 微辣 wēi là ('mild').

Six lines for the table

菜单

càidān

The menu, please. The single word 菜单 usually does the job.

我要这个

wǒ yào zhège

I'll have this one. Point at the dish, the picture, or someone else's table.

不要香菜

bú yào xiāngcài

No coriander, please. Swap in 葱 cōng (spring onion) or 蒜 suàn (garlic).

我对花生过敏

wǒ duì huāshēng guòmǐn

I'm allergic to peanuts. Replace 花生 with 海鲜 hǎixiān (seafood) or 牛奶 niúnǎi (milk). Show this line, don't say it from memory.

买单

mǎidān

The bill, please. Often you simply pay by scanning a QR code at the table.

打包

dǎbāo

To take away, please. Useful because portions in Hunan are generous.

How a small place usually works

Pointing is normal. Many places have a wall of pictures, a display of raw ingredients, or a QR code menu on the table. 我要这个 plus a finger is a complete order.
Payment. Foreign cards work with WeChat Pay and Alipay since 2024 — bind one before you fly. The first 72 hours guide and the 7-step checklist cover the setup.
Cost. A rough range for a careful traveller is 100–200 CNY a day for street meals, metro and a room. It is a ballpark, not a promise — see what a day costs.
Allergies: show, don't say. Hand over the phone with the line above. A misunderstood allergy is not the place to practise your pronunciation.

Say one thing out loud

Try 买单 mǎidān at the end of the meal. It is two syllables, everyone understands it, and it is the kind of tiny success that makes the next sentence easier. The ten-phrase page has more of these.

All four lessons· ← Ten phrases· Next: first conversation →· The chilli guide· Search this site