How to Say “Black coffee” in Chinese
Food and dining · HSK 2
"Black coffee" in Chinese is 黑咖啡 (hēi kāfēi). 黑咖啡 (hēi kāfēi) literally 'black coffee' means coffee with nothing added; no milk, no sugar. Coffee culture exploded in China in the 2010s with 瑞幸 (Luckin) and Starbucks (星巴克 Xīngbākè) on every corner, so baristas understand this perfectly.
Primary translation
黑咖啡
hēi kāfēi
When to use it
黑咖啡 (hēi kāfēi) literally 'black coffee' means coffee with nothing added; no milk, no sugar. Coffee culture exploded in China in the 2010s with 瑞幸 (Luckin) and Starbucks (星巴克 Xīngbākè) on every corner, so baristas understand this perfectly. If you want an Americano specifically, say 美式咖啡 (měishì kāfēi); that's the most common 'black' option. Older Chinese speakers sometimes find unsweetened black coffee bitter (苦 kǔ) and associate coffee with adding milk and sugar, so don't be surprised if a grandma asks 你不加糖吗? ('You don't add sugar?').
Example sentences
我要一杯黑咖啡。
Wǒ yào yì bēi hēi kāfēi.
I'd like a black coffee.
黑咖啡提神效果最好。
Hēi kāfēi tí shén xiàoguǒ zuì hǎo.
Black coffee is the best for waking you up.
我每天早上喝黑咖啡。
Wǒ měi tiān zǎoshang hē hēi kāfēi.
I drink black coffee every morning.