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March 24, 2026
餐cān(can1)
The character 餐 (cān) refers to a meal or food, often used as a noun. It can also serve as a classifier for meals, indicating the action of eating or dining. Commonly found in contexts related to dining, it expresses the idea of sharing food or meals in social settings.
Strokes16Radical食Frequency#3313DifficultyHard
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, meals are significant social events, often involving family or friends gathering to share food. The concept of 餐 reflects the importance of dining together, as well as traditional practices like the reunion dinner during festivals.
Memory Tip
Imagine a 'can' of food being served at a dining table. The character 餐 resembles a meal being prepared, with the top part suggesting a roof over a table where food is placed, and the bottom part symbolizing the various dishes laid out for a feast.
Meanings of 餐
cān(can1)
1meal
2to eat
Exercise 1 of 2
Listen & Choose the Meaning
Choose the correct answer:
About 餐
餐Simplified
16Strokes
食Radical
名词míngcínoun (n.)Part of Speech
#3313Frequency Rank
HSK 3.0L6IntermediateTOCFLL5HSKKL3CEFRC1
Podcast: 餐
Podcast: 餐
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AI Study Notes for 餐
Quick Contrast
餐 (cān) vs 饭 (fàn) — use 餐 for formal dining contexts, while 饭 is more casual and commonly refers to rice or meals in general.
Usage Notes
Be careful not to confuse 餐 with similar words that also pertain to food, like 食 (shí), which means 'to eat' more broadly. 餐 is often used in formal contexts, such as 餐厅 (cān tīng), meaning 'restaurant', while 食 is more casual. Remember to use the proper classifier when discussing meals, as in 一餐 (yī cān) for 'one meal'.
HSK Study Tips
As a word associated with eating and dining, 餐 is relevant for learners focusing on daily life vocabulary in HSK levels 2-3. Students should practice its use in phrases related to meals and integrate it with other food-related vocabulary.
Common Mistakes
Learners often mistakenly use 餐 in informal contexts where 食 would be more appropriate. For instance, saying '我想吃一餐' (wǒ xiǎng chī yī cān) instead of '我想吃一点' (wǒ xiǎng chī yī diǎn) for 'I want to eat a little bit'.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 餐
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Phonosemantic compound. 食 represents the meaning and 𣦼 represents the sound.
1The meaning half食 carries the sense.
2The giveawayfood
3On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 餐? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1
Character Formation Type
What type of character formation is 餐?
Decomposition of 餐
IDS Structure⿱⿰歺又食
餐Full Character
=
歺e4
left
又you4
right
食shi2
Exercise 1 of 3
Identify the Components
Which of these is a component of 餐?
How to say meal in Chinese
“meal” in Chinese is餐cān
The character 餐 (cān) refers to a meal or food, often used as a noun. It can also serve as a classifier for meals, indicating the action of eating or dining. Commonly found in contexts related to dining, it expresses the idea of sharing food or meals in social settings.
When to use 餐
Be careful not to confuse 餐 with similar words that also pertain to food, like 食 (shí), which means 'to eat' more broadly. 餐 is often used in formal contexts, such as 餐厅 (cān tīng), meaning 'restaurant', while 食 is more casual. Remember to use the proper classifier when discussing meals, as in 一餐 (yī cān) for 'one meal'.
餐 or something close to it
餐 (cān) vs 饭 (fàn) — use 餐 for formal dining contexts, while 饭 is more casual and commonly refers to rice or meals in general.
What learners get wrong
Learners often mistakenly use 餐 in informal contexts where 食 would be more appropriate. For instance, saying '我想吃一餐' (wǒ xiǎng chī yī cān) instead of '我想吃一点' (wǒ xiǎng chī yī diǎn) for 'I want to eat a little bit'.
Write 餐
餐
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Practice writing 餐 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
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Grammar Patterns of 餐
餐 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). It carries 4 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
You won't have to lay out a fortune for this dining table.
6
“谢谢你招待了这么美味的晚餐。”——“这没什么，”萨拉说。
“ “ xiè xiè nǐ zhāo dài le zhè mó měi wèi de wǎn。”——“ cān 。”——“ zhè méi，” shí mó ，”。
"Thank you for the wonderful dinner." — "It's nothing," Sarah said.
7
他一直感到昏昏沉沉的，这是吃了一顿超级大餐的结果。
tā yī zhí gǎn dào hūn hūn chén chén de， ， zhè shì chī le yī dùn chāo jí dà cān de jié。
He had been feeling drowsy, the effect of an unusually heavy meal.
8
我们往往每周共进一次午餐。
wǒ mén wǎng wǎng měi zhōu gòng jìn yī cì wǔ cān。
We tend to meet up for lunch once a week.
9
我们美餐了一顿，还喝了一瓶香槟。
wǒ mén měi cān le yī dùn， ， huán hē le yī píng xiāng。
We had a nice meal with a bottle of champagne.
10
包括咖啡、服务费及增值税在内，一顿五道菜正餐的价格为30英镑。
bāo kuò kā fēi、 、 fú wù fèi jí zēng zhí shuì zài， nèi ， yī dùn wǔ dào cài zhèng cān de jià30 gé wéi。
A five-course meal including coffee, service and VAT is £
Cultural Notes for 餐
💡Did you know?
In Chinese culture, meals are often seen as a time for family gatherings and socializing. It is common to have multiple dishes served together, emphasizing sharing and community during meals.
Word Family of 餐
Compounds1
瀣xie4vapor, sea mist
Words Containing This Character20
晚餐wǎncāndinner
餐cānmeal
早餐zǎocānbreakfast
餐厅cāntīngdining hall餐廳
午餐wǔcānlunch
餐馆cānguǎnrestaurant餐館
餐饮cānyǐncatering餐飲
大餐great meal
餐桌cānzhuōdining table
用餐yòngcānto eat a meal
快餐kuàicānfast food
餐具tableware
聚餐communal meal
野餐yěcānpicnic
自助餐buffet
中餐zhōngcānChinese meal
就餐jiùcānto dine
餐巾napkin
快餐店fast food shop
进餐to have a meal進餐
Exercise 1 of 4
Compound Meaning
What does 瀣 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 餐
餐 (cān) and 饭 (fàn) both relate to food, but they have different usages. 餐 refers specifically to meals and can be used as a classifier, while 饭 generally refers to cooked rice or food in a broader sense. Understanding these differences can help you use them correctly in conversations.
To say 'I had dinner' in Chinese, you can say '我吃了晚餐' (wǒ chīle wǎncān). Here, 晚餐 (wǎncān) specifically refers to 'dinner,' making it clear that you are using 餐 in the context of a meal.
餐 (cān) means 'meal' or 'to eat' in Chinese. It is commonly used to refer to meals in general, such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Additionally, it serves as a classifier for meals, indicating the quantity of meals being referred to.
You can use 餐 (cān) in sentences to indicate specific meals. For example, '我吃了三餐' means 'I ate three meals.' It's also used in phrases like '早餐' (zǎocān) for breakfast and '晚餐' (wǎncān) for dinner.
餐 specifically refers to meals and can be a classifier for them, while 食 is a more general term for eating or food.
No, 餐 typically refers to full meals; for snacks, you might use 小吃 (xiǎo chī).
You can say 我们今天有三餐, meaning 'we have three meals today'.
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