Grocery Shopping in Chinese: Essential Vocabulary, Phrases, and Examples

Key takeaways

• The word for supermarket in Chinese is 超市 (chāoshì), short for 超级市场 (chāojí shìchǎng). Knowing 超市 gets you through most grocery shopping contexts.
• Grocery items in Chinese are organized into the same categories you know: fresh produce (新鲜农产品 xīnxiān nóngchǎnpǐn), meat (肉类 ròulèi), dairy (乳制品 rǔzhìpǐn), and packaged goods (包装食品 bāozhuāng shípǐn).
• Buying groceries in Chinese requires measure words: 斤 (jīn: 500 grams), 公斤 (gōngjīn: kilogram), 个 (gè: piece/item), and 袋 (dài: bag) are the ones you need most.
• Asking for prices, requesting specific amounts, and reading labels are the three core skills that make grocery shopping in Chinese functional rather than just possible.

You are at a Chinese supermarket, pointing at packages and reading labels with unfamiliar characters. The vendor at the fresh produce section asks how much you want. A packaged item has a price tag but you need to confirm it.

Grocery shopping in Chinese exposes vocabulary you do not encounter in textbooks: measure words for food quantities, aisle signs, label text, and fast-paced market transactions. italki connects learners with Chinese teachers who can practice supermarket vocabulary and real shopping conversations with you so the words work when you need them.

This guide covers grocery in Chinese across six areas: supermarket vocabulary and layout, fresh produce, meat and seafood, dairy and packaged goods, units of measurement, and the key phrases for shopping conversations.

Supermarket vocabulary and store layout

Chinese	Pinyin	English
超市	chāoshì	supermarket (short form)
超级市场	chāojí shìchǎng	supermarket (full form)
菜市场	càishìchǎng	wet market/fresh produce market
便利店	biànlìdiàn	convenience store
收银台	shōuyíntái	checkout/cashier counter
购物车	gòuwùchē	shopping cart
购物篮	gòuwùlán	shopping basket
货架	huòjià	shelf/shelving unit
冷冻区	lěngdòng qū	frozen foods section
冷藏区	lěngcáng qū	refrigerated section
蔬果区	shūguǒ qū	produce section
熟食区	shúshí qū	ready-to-eat/deli section
烘焙区	hōngbèi qū	bakery section
日用品区	rìyòngpǐn qū	household goods section
付款	fùkuǎn	to pay
打折	dǎzhé	on sale/discount
买一送一	mǎi yī sòng yī	buy one get one free
小票 / 发票	xiǎopiào / fāpiào	receipt / formal invoice

超市 (chāoshì) is the word you will see on signs and hear in conversation. 菜市场 (càishìchǎng) refers to the open-air wet markets common across China where vendors sell fresh produce, meat, and fish directly to customers, often at lower prices than supermarkets.

Work through a store layout drill with a Chinese language tutor who can practice asking where is the produce section? (蔬果区在哪里? shūguǒ qū zài nǎlǐ?) and navigating common supermarket interactions.

Fresh produce: vegetables and fruit

Vegetables (蔬菜 shūcài)

Chinese	Pinyin	English
白菜	báicài	napa cabbage
菠菜	bōcài	spinach
西兰花	xīlánhuā	broccoli
土豆 / 马铃薯	tǔdòu / mǎlíngshǔ	potato
胡萝卜	húluóbo	carrot
西红柿 / 番茄	xīhóngshì / fānqié	tomato
黄瓜	huángguā	cucumber
青椒 / 辣椒	qīngjiāo / làjiāo	green pepper / chili pepper
洋葱	yángcōng	onion
大蒜	dàsuàn	garlic
生姜	shēngjiāng	fresh ginger
茄子	qiézi	eggplant/aubergine
玉米	yùmǐ	corn
豆腐	dòufu	tofu (technically a processed soy product but sold in produce sections)
香菇 / 蘑菇	xiānggū / mógū	shiitake mushroom / mushroom
芹菜	qíncài	celery

Fruits in Chinese pairs naturally with grocery shopping because fruit names, quantities, ripeness, and prices often come up in the same market conversations.

Fruit (水果 shuǐguǒ)

Chinese	Pinyin	English
苹果	píngguǒ	apple
香蕉	xiāngjiāo	banana
橙子	chéngzi	orange
西瓜	xīguā	watermelon
葡萄	pútao	grapes
草莓	cǎoméi	strawberry
芒果	mángguǒ	mango
梨	lí	pear
桃子	táozi	peach
菠萝	bōluó	pineapple

Meat, seafood, and protein

Meat (肉 ròu)

Chinese	Pinyin	English
猪肉	zhūròu	pork
牛肉	niúròu	beef
羊肉	yángròu	lamb/mutton
鸡肉	jīròu	chicken
鸭肉	yāròu	duck
五花肉	wǔhuāròu	pork belly
鸡腿	jītuǐ	chicken leg
鸡胸肉	jīxiōngròu	chicken breast
排骨	páigǔ	spare ribs
绞肉 / 肉馅	jiǎoròu / ròuxiàn	ground/minced meat

Seafood (海鲜 hǎixiān)

Chinese	Pinyin	English
鱼	yú	fish
虾	xiā	shrimp/prawn
螃蟹	pángxiè	crab
扇贝	shànbèi	scallops
鱿鱼	yóuyú	squid
三文鱼	sānwènyú	salmon

Dairy, eggs, and packaged goods

Dairy and eggs (乳制品和鸡蛋 rǔzhìpǐn hé jīdàn)

Chinese	Pinyin	English
鸡蛋	jīdàn	chicken egg
牛奶	niúnǎi	milk
豆奶	dòunǎi	soy milk
酸奶	suānnǎi	yogurt
奶酪	nǎilào	cheese
黄油	huángyóu	butter
淡奶油	dàn nǎiyóu	whipping cream

Pantry staples (主食和调料 zhǔshí hé tiáoliào)

Chinese	Pinyin	English
大米 / 米	dàmǐ / mǐ	rice
面条	miàntiáo	noodles
面粉	miànfěn	flour
食用油	shíyòng yóu	cooking oil
酱油	jiàngyóu	soy sauce
醋	cù	vinegar
盐	yán	salt
糖	táng	sugar
味精	wèijīng	MSG
花椒	huājiāo	Sichuan peppercorn
八角	bājiǎo	star anise

Grocery quantities rely heavily on Chinese measure words, including food-specific classifiers that appear in market and supermarket conversations.

Units of measurement for groceries

Chinese grocery shopping uses specific units of measurement that differ from Western standards.

Chinese	Pinyin	English equivalent	Notes
斤	jīn	500 grams (half a kilo)	Standard market unit in China
公斤 / 千克	gōngjīn / qiānkè	1 kilogram	Used in supermarkets on labels
克	kè	gram	Used on packaged goods
两	liǎng	50 grams	Traditional; 1 斤 = 10 两
个	gè	piece / item	For countable items: 3 apples = 三个苹果
袋	dài	bag	For bagged items
瓶	píng	bottle	For bottled items
盒	hé	box/carton	For boxed items
罐	guàn	can/tin	For canned goods
包	bāo	packet/pack	For packets

The most important unit to know is 斤 (jīn): 500 grams. At a wet market, prices are quoted per 斤. When a vendor asks 要几斤? (yào jǐ jīn: how many jin do you want?), they mean how many 500-gram portions? Two jin (两斤, liǎng jīn) equals one kilogram.

Practice with a Chinese tutor online by simulating a wet market transaction: stating how many jin you want, asking the price, and responding to a total.

Shopping conversation phrases

Chinese	Pinyin	English
这个多少钱?	zhège duōshǎo qián	How much is this?
一斤多少钱?	yī jīn duōshǎo qián	How much per 500 grams?
我要两斤。	wǒ yào liǎng jīn	I would like two jin (1 kg).
有没有更新鲜的?	yǒu méiyǒu gèng xīnxiān de	Is there anything fresher?
这个打折吗?	zhège dǎzhé ma	Is this on sale?
我可以用手机支付吗?	wǒ kěyǐ yòng shǒujī zhīfù ma	Can I pay by phone?
需要袋子吗?	xūyào dàizi ma	Do you need a bag?
我要一个袋子。	wǒ yào yīgè dàizi	I would like a bag.
这个是什么?	zhège shì shénme	What is this?
保质期是多少?	bǎozhì qī shì duōshǎo	What is the expiry date?
我不要太辣的。	wǒ bù yào tài là de	I do not want anything too spicy.
帮我找一下这个。	bāng wǒ zhǎo yīxià zhège	Can you help me find this?

In China, mobile payment (手机支付, shǒujī zhīfù) via WeChat Pay (微信支付, Wēixìn zhīfù) or Alipay (支付宝, Zhīfùbǎo) is used in almost all supermarkets and most wet markets. Asking can I pay by phone? is a practical and common question.

Reading a Chinese supermarket receipt and label

Supermarket receipts and food labels in China contain standard terms worth knowing:

Chinese	Pinyin	English
品名	pǐnmíng	item name
数量	shùliàng	quantity
单价	dānjià	unit price
金额	jīn’é	amount
合计	héjì	total
保质期	bǎozhì qī	expiry date/best before date
生产日期	shēngchǎn rìqī	production date
净含量	jìng hánliàng	net weight
配料	pèiliào	ingredients list
营养成分	yíngyǎng chéngfèn	nutrition facts
储存方法	chǔcún fāngfǎ	storage instructions

The production date (生产日期 shēngchǎn rìqī) and expiry date (保质期 bǎozhì qī) appear on all packaged food in China. Chinese dates on labels follow the year-month-day format: 2026.07.07 means July 7, 2026.

Practice grocery shopping in real Chinese

Grocery vocabulary covers a specific and practical slice of daily life in a Chinese-speaking environment. The difference between recognizing a word on a list and using it fluently in a wet market, where prices are negotiated fast and vendors expect clear answers, is significant.

A Chinese tutor can compress that gap. Run a market transaction roleplay, practice measure words in context, and get your tones corrected on the numbers that appear constantly in prices. italki has 30,000+ expert tutors, trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide, with Chinese tutors who can build grocery shopping fluency into your regular lesson practice. Book a trial lesson and practice your next supermarket visit in advance.

FAQ

Can you bargain at a Chinese wet market?

Yes, particularly for produce, seafood, and meat. The phrase 便宜一点可以吗? (piányí yīdiǎn kěyǐ ma: can you make it a little cheaper?) is common and generally well-received at wet markets. Fixed-price supermarkets (超市) do not negotiate. Street markets and smaller stalls are more likely to accept a counter-offer.

How does online grocery shopping in China differ from in-store shopping?

Apps like 美团买菜 (Měituán mǎicài) and 盒马鲜生 (Hémǎ: Hema Fresh) use the same core vocabulary but add delivery-specific terms: 快递 (kuàidì: courier/delivery), 到货时间 (dào huò shíjiān: delivery time), and 退换货 (tuìhuàn huò: returns and exchanges). The shopping vocabulary in this guide transfers directly to these platforms.

Is grocery vocabulary noticeably different in Taiwan versus mainland China?

Mostly no, but a few terms differ. Taiwan uses traditional characters and some regional words: 賣場 (mài chǎng) is more common than 超市 for large supermarkets in some areas, and produce names occasionally differ. The core transactional phrases (asking prices, payment, measures) work across both.