How to Say “What is this dish?” in Chinese
Food and dining · HSK 2
"What is this dish?" in Chinese is 这是什么菜？ (zhè shì shénme cài?). 菜 (cài) is the universal word for 'dish' or 'cuisine'; 中国菜 means Chinese food, but a single 菜 is one plate. The measure word 道 (dào) is more restaurant-polite than just 这个.
Primary translation
这是什么菜？
zhè shì shénme cài?
Traditional: 這是什麼菜？
Variants by register
Formal
请问这道菜是什么？
qǐng wèn zhè dào cài shì shénme?
Casual
这啥菜啊？
zhè shá cài a?
When to use it
菜 (cài) is the universal word for 'dish' or 'cuisine'; 中国菜 means Chinese food, but a single 菜 is one plate. The measure word 道 (dào) is more restaurant-polite than just 这个. In casual northern speech, 什么 often becomes 啥 (shá). Pointing and asking 这是什么菜 at a dim sum cart or night market is completely normal; vendors expect it and often just name the main ingredient rather than the full dish name.
Example sentences
服务员，请问这道菜是什么？
Fúwùyuán, qǐng wèn zhè dào cài shì shénme?
Waiter, what is this dish called?
这是什么菜？看起来很好吃。
Zhè shì shénme cài? Kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī.
What dish is this? It looks delicious.
这菜有没有花生？我对花生过敏。
Zhè cài yǒu méi yǒu huāshēng? Wǒ duì huāshēng guòmǐn.
Does this dish have peanuts? I'm allergic to peanuts.