🍜 Reading Chinese Menus
Hey Chinese learners,
Today we’re breaking down this menu in Chinese. This is an example of a commonly seen menu in Chinese restaurants.
Let’s focus on the high-frequency words I’ve highlighted in red. Do you know what they say?
Step 1: Pre-test
Try to read the text above without any help. You may not understand much but this is important, don’t skip it.
This is called pre-testing and it’s proven to enhance memory by focusing your attention. Students who pre-test learn significantly more compared to those who don’t, even if they feel like they “bomb” the pre-test.
Step 2: Listen + Read
Listen to the audio file below and read along with the characters, pinyin, and translation (shadow). Look up any words you don’t understand (vocabulary list below).
Tāngmiàn lèi
汤面类
湯麵類
Noodle Soup
jiàn
荐
薦
To recommend
gān miàn lèi
干面类
乾麵類
Dry noodles
pàocài lèi
泡菜类
泡菜類
Kimchi
dōng fěn lèi
冬粉类
冬粉類
Winter noodles
jiǎo lèi
饺类
餃類
Dumplings
fàn lèi
饭类
飯類
rice
tāng lèi
汤类
湯類
Soup
měiwèi lǔ wèi
美味鲁味
美味魯味
Delicious Luwei
*luwei is a popular cuisine where dishes are made by braising in a sauce known as a master stock or lousauce
liángbàn lèi
凉拌类
涼拌類
Cold dishes
yǐnliào
饮料
飲料
Dinks
Vocabulary List
Dive deeper with interactive vocab lists, flashcards, study tracker, and more here.
Step 3: Repetition + Retrieval
Most learners stop here, but they miss the most important step: repetition and active recall/retrieval (also scientifically shown to enhance memory).
Read the characters out loud without audio. Focus on getting the correct tones/pronunciation.
Try not to look at the pinyin, but use it like training wheels if you forget.
Repeat until you don’t need to look at the pinyin.
Tāngmiàn lèi
汤面类
湯麵類
jiàn
荐
薦
gān miàn lèi
干面类
乾麵類
pàocài lèi
泡菜类
泡菜類
dōng fěn lèi
冬粉类
冬粉類
jiǎo lèi
饺类
餃類
fàn lèi
饭类
飯類
tāng lèi
汤类
湯類
měiwèi lǔ wèi
美味鲁味
美味魯味
liángbàn lèi
凉拌类
涼拌類
yǐnliào
饮料
飲料
Step 4: Final “Test”
Final stretch. Re-read the original text again.
You should feel more confident reading it.
The system I use here is just one of the many ways I leverage the science of learning and real-world materials to get tangible results fast.
I want to make sure I send you lessons that are right for you. What type of emails would you like to see more of? Reply to this email and let me know.
See you next week for another breakdown!
PS If you’re looking for more help, here are some other ways I can help you:
Speaking Course: This course shows you everything I did to go from being nervous to speak to having meaningful conversations with native speakers. If you struggle with speaking, this is for you.
The Language Learner OS: The all-in-one hub to help me organize all my notes, track my progress, stay more productive, and learn Chinese faster and more effectively.
The Monthly Signs: Dive deeper into these lessons with interactive vocab lists, flashcards, study tracker, and more.