How to Say “Have you eaten?” in Chinese
Small talk and travel · HSK 1
"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!