How to Say “Without sugar” in Chinese
Food and dining · HSK 2
"Without sugar" in Chinese is 不加糖 (bù jiā táng). 不加糖 (bù jiā táng) is essential if you want unsweetened drinks; Chinese bubble tea and milk tea are shockingly sweet by default. At tea shops you can also say 无糖 (wú táng, 'sugar-free'), which is actually the official menu option.
Primary translation
不加糖
bù jiā táng
Variants by register
Formal
请不要加糖
qǐng bú yào jiā táng
Casual
不加糖
bù jiā táng
When to use it
不加糖 (bù jiā táng) is essential if you want unsweetened drinks; Chinese bubble tea and milk tea are shockingly sweet by default. At tea shops you can also say 无糖 (wú táng, 'sugar-free'), which is actually the official menu option. Native speakers often use 无糖 when ordering (it sounds cleaner) and 不加糖 when asking the barista to customize. Note the tone sandhi: 不 (bù) changes from 4th tone to 2nd tone before another 4th-tone syllable, but before 加 (1st tone) it stays 4th tone.
Example sentences
我的咖啡不加糖。
Wǒ de kāfēi bù jiā táng.
My coffee is without sugar.
请给我一杯无糖奶茶。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi wú táng nǎichá.
One sugar-free milk tea please.
我在减肥，不加糖。
Wǒ zài jiǎnféi, bù jiā táng.
I'm on a diet, no sugar.