How to Say “Have you eaten?” in Chinese
Small talk and travel
"Have you eaten?" in Chinese is 你吃了吗？ (nǐ chī le ma). 你吃了吗 (nǐ chī le ma) is the classic Chinese greeting at meal times; functionally equivalent to English "how are you?" rather than a literal food question. Pervasive in older-generation speech.
Primary translation
你吃了吗？
nǐ chī le ma
Traditional: 你吃了嗎？
When to use it
你吃了吗 (nǐ chī le ma) is the classic Chinese greeting at meal times; functionally equivalent to English "how are you?" rather than a literal food question. Pervasive in older-generation speech. Expected reply: 吃了 (ate already) or 还没呢 (not yet). Answering "no" can trigger an invitation to eat together; which is perfectly sincere in Chinese culture, not merely polite. Among younger urban Chinese the greeting feels dated; 最近怎么样 (how have you been) is the modern equivalent.
Example sentences
你吃了吗？
Nǐ chī le ma?
Have you eaten?
吃了，你呢？
Chī le, nǐ ne?
Yes I ate, and you?
还没呢，一起吃吧！
Hái méi ne, yìqǐ chī ba!
Not yet, let us eat together!
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