Looking for a vocab list of common shop and restaurant signs

[blueavocado]

Hi, I am trying to find a list that has characters commonly seen on shop and restaurant signs in China. Words such as synonyms for shop (store, market, mart), and food names that might be commonly seen (seafood, bakery, dumplings, ?). Also searching for a list with words that might be seen on a menu if anyone can recommend one.

I can read some basic Mandarin but when I was in a store in the U.S. the other day, I realized how many different words we have for the same type of thing, like juice: punch, lemonade, cider, fruit-flavored beverage. My goal is to be able to visit China for a second time and actually be able to read some of what is around me to have a better experience. I went in 2010 and couldn't read a thing besides common words like pork, beef, noodles, soup, rice, beans, and eggplant, and found it didn't get me very far.

Thanks!

[Mouseneb]

There are lists like that on Skritter, but it's a paid service. Totally worth it in my opinion though, it's a huge part of why I can read (most of what I see) in Chinese.You'd probably be best to start with something like the 500 most frequent characters list, or something similar. You can also make your own list, which is mostly what I do, just add words as I come across them and want to remember them. Anyway...

This link will get you (and me!) two weeks free though if you are interested.

http://www.skritter.com/refer/wallaby78erik

[Ruben von Zwack]

Maybe a book like one of these might come in handy? The bookshop is in Switzerland, but title descriptions are in English, if you scroll down. And anyway, I just did a keyword search for "chinese food", cause I remember I had seen intermediate readers about food. I guess you will get a good selection of readers in any Chinese bookshop of your choice!

http://www.chinabook...crdi2q0&x=0&y=0

Also, Beijing Language and Culture Press's "Chinese Learning" no. 6 from 2010 (ISSN 1002-5790 or 9 771002 579023) was about food. I know cause I received a promotional copy with my book order

[imron]

I you have an iOS device, there are programs like this that might come in useful.

[abcdefg]

This is admittedly really low-tech, but I found it useful when starting out. Yellowbridge has what they call a "memory game" which allows you to learn and review restaurant and food shopping words from the Schaum's Outline series.

Take a look and see if you think it might be of help. It's free and gives you the Hanzi plus Pinying as well as the English. http://www.yellowbridge.com/chinese/mtch-options.php?deck=socv

[blueavocado]

Thanks everyone! I've been searching google and just get the most basic of lists. I will be sure to check all of these out.

[blueavocado]

I came across a good website when I wasn't even looking for it! Here's a great blog that lists typical Chinese menu items and their translations. http://kake.dreamwidth.org/68195.html

[Kelby]

This is a great little course on Memrise I've recommended to friends in the past. It's a little simple if you've been studying for a while but has helped out my fellow expats with their restaurant adventures.

http://www.memrise.com/course/749/learn-basic-chinese-read-a-menu/

[blueavocado]

I just found an awesome list! Look at the bottom for other types of dishes.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/food-menu/

[liuzhou]

I just found an awesome list! Look at the bottom for other types of dishes.

The problem with these lists is that they are highly regional. Move to the next city and they may have totally different names

[abcdefg]

#9 -- Yes, it's a good list. I also like the one you mentioned in post #7, above. You are well prepared now!

I think it's the list compiled for the 2008 Beijing Olympics; a friend of mine (along with many others) worked on putting that list together. Need to get someone in the region where you will be living to help whittle it way down to the dozen or so most common items in each category to make it more useful.

[liuzhou]

I think it's the list compiled for the 2008 Beijing Olympics

It may be a tiny part of it. The full list is here.

But I again stress that many of these dishes will have different names outside of Beijing and it doesn't include many regional dishes.

[Kobo-Daishi]

http://www.travelchi...rink/food-menu/

From the "Chinese Food Bilingual Menu - Pork" linked to above:

咕咾肉 (Gū Lǎo Ròu) Sweet and Sour Pork

I've only ever heard "sweet and sour pork" called "甜酸肉" (literally:sweet & sour meat. "meat" being a given for "pork" in China if no clarification is given.) or "糖醋肉" (literally sugar & vinegar pork).

咕咾肉 is a new one on me.

http://www.google.co...?tbm=isch&q=咕咾肉

http://www.google.co...?tbm=isch&q=甜酸肉

http://www.google.co...?tbm=isch&q=糖醋肉

From the Wikipedia entry for "sweet and sour pork":

Sweet and sour pork is a Chinese dish that is particularly popular in Cantonese cuisine and may be found all over the world. A traditional Jiangsu dish called Pork in a sugar and vinegar sauce (糖醋里脊; pinyin: táng cù lǐjǐ) is considered its ancestor.

The origin of sweet and sour pork was in 18th century Canton or earlier. A record shows that the renowned Long Family in the prosperous neighbouring Shunde county (of the Qinghui Garden fame, and the family was active in the 18th and 19th centuries), used sweet and sour pork to test the skills of their family chefs. It spread to the United States in the early 20th century after the Chinese migrant goldminers and railroad workers turned to cookery as trades. The original meaning of the American term chop suey refers to sweet and sour pork.[1] In some countries the dish is known as Ku lo yuk.

Sweet and sour pork

Chinese name

Traditional Chinese 咕嚕肉

Simplified Chinese 咕噜肉

Alternative Chinese name

Chinese 古老肉

The last, 古老肉, is the closest to the one in the link above, 咕咾肉, except without the mouth radicals.

http://en.wikipedia....t_and_sour_pork

Interesting that in early 20th century America, "chop suey" originally referred to "sweet and sour pork".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_suey

Though under the Wikipedia entry for "chop suey" there's no mention of so. Wonder how accurate that is.

Also, interestingly Wikipedia doesn't have my two contributions.

I remember reading that when Prince Philip visited Hong Kong he particularly asked for sweet and sour pork. Go figure.

Kobo.

[imron]

I've only ever heard "sweet and sour pork" called "甜酸肉" (literally:sweet & sour meat. "meat" being a given for "pork" in China if no clarification is given.)

For comparison, I've never heard it called this, neither have I ever heard it called 糖醋肉. 糖醋里脊 is however very common, as is 咕咾肉, at least in northern parts of China (can't speak about other areas). A quick google search shows that 咕咾肉 is also the more commonly used spelling, compared to 古老肉, but both versions appear well accepted. I'm not sure which one is considered correct.

For reference, the number of results for 咕咾肉 is greater than any of the other terms except for 糖醋里脊, but note that although similar, these are actually quite different dishes.

[abcdefg]

#12 --

It may be a tiny part of it. The full list is here.

Yes, you're right. That's the one I was thinking about.

[skylee]

Re #13-14, I like 咕嚕肉. I think it is Cantonese and didn't know that people elsewhere in China use a similar name. 糖醋肉 or 甜酸肉 are not used here. There is however a dish called 糖醋排骨, which is different from 咕嚕肉.

[Kobo-Daishi]

For reference, the number of results for 咕咾肉 is greater than any of the other terms except for 糖醋里脊, but note that although similar, these are actually quite different dishes.

While reading an article at the Taipei Times web site, I came across a link to an old restaurant review in the sidebar.

http://www.taipeitim...18/2003498458/1

They reviewed a vegetarian restaurant called 京園北平素食館. Peiping being an old name for Beijing.

In the review, they call "sweet and sour pork" 糖醋里肌.

A Google search returns 1,410,000 hits. Slightly less than the 1.6 million hits returned for 糖醋里脊. And 4 times as much as 咕咾肉.

https://www.google.com/search?q=糖醋里肌

I guess 里脊 and 里肌 both mean tenderloin.

Kobo.