Understanding 菜单 (càidān)
菜单 literally combines 菜 (dish, vegetable) and 单 (list, single item) to mean a list of dishes offered by a restaurant or cafe. It is the standard word for "menu" in everyday Chinese.
Usage in Conversation
When dining out, 菜单 is what you ask for to see the available food and drink options. It can refer to physical paper menus or digital menus on devices.
Common Collocations
- 点菜单 (diǎn càidān): to order from the menu
- 菜单价格 (càidān jiàgé): menu prices
- 电子菜单 (diànzǐ càidān): electronic menu
These collocations help you talk about ordering, pricing, and modern digital menus.
Tips
菜单 is always used as a noun. Avoid confusing it with 菜 (dish) alone or 单 (single) alone. 菜单 focuses on the list aspect, not just a single dish.
Menus can be physical or digital, and 菜单 applies to both contexts naturally.