How to Say “Still water” in Chinese
Food and dining · HSK 3
"Still water" in Chinese is 无气水 (wú qì shuǐ). In China, 水 (shuǐ) by default means still water; sparkling water is actually the foreign concept. If you just say 矿泉水 (kuàngquánshuǐ, mineral water) at a restaurant, you'll almost always get still.
Primary translation
无气水
wú qì shuǐ
Traditional: 無氣水
Variants by register
Formal
请给我一瓶无气矿泉水
qǐng gěi wǒ yī píng wú qì kuàng quán shuǐ
Casual
要瓶普通水
yào píng pǔ tōng shuǐ
When to use it
In China, 水 (shuǐ) by default means still water; sparkling water is actually the foreign concept. If you just say 矿泉水 (kuàngquánshuǐ, mineral water) at a restaurant, you'll almost always get still. The word 无气 literally means 'no gas.' Many waiters won't recognize 无气水 on its own; pair it with 矿泉水 for clarity. Also note: tap water isn't served; expect bottled or warm boiled water (开水 kāishuǐ).
Example sentences
请给我一瓶无气矿泉水。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yī píng wú qì kuàng quán shuǐ.
Please give me a bottle of still mineral water.
我要无气的，谢谢。
Wǒ yào wú qì de, xiè xie.
I'll have the still one, thanks.
有没有常温的无气水？
Yǒu méi yǒu cháng wēn de wú qì shuǐ?
Do you have room-temperature still water?