Chinese borrows from neighbors and far-off kitchens alike. Beyond English/French/Spanish, everyday Traditional Chinese is sprinkled with Japanese, Korean, Southeast/South Asian, Russian, German, Italian, Arabic–Persian—and a dash of Portuguese via trade. Below are high-frequency items seen on menus, storefronts, pop culture, and small talk. Entries show Traditional Chinese → pinyin → clean English gloss, with natural example lines that drop right into conversation.
How These Loanwords Arrive (At A Glance)
音譯 yīn yì — sound-based: 卡拉 OK kǎ lā ōu kēi “karaoke”
意譯 yì yì — meaning-based: 幼稚園 yòu zhì yuán “kindergarten” (German concept, Chinese phrase)
混合譯 hùn hé yì — hybrid: 酸奶 sūan nǎi (not in Taiwan daily use) contrasts with 優格 yōu gé “yogurt” (English route); this article focuses on non-English sources.
Japanese-Origin Everyday Words (台灣最常見)
便當
biàn dāng
bento / lunch box
中午買便當，菜色要清淡一點。
zhōng wǔ mǎi biàn dāng, càisè yào qīng dàn yì diǎn
Getting a bento for lunch—keep it light.
拉麵
lā miàn
ramen (Japanese style)
今天想吃豚骨拉麵。
jīn tiān xiǎng chī tún gǔ lā miàn
Craving tonkotsu ramen today.
壽司
shòu sī
sushi
這家壽司的醋飯很平衡。
zhè jiā shòu sī de cù fàn hěn píng héng
The sushi rice here is well-balanced.
和風（醬／沙拉）
hé fēng (jiàng / shā lā)
Japanese-style (dressing/salad)
中午點和風沙拉再配味噌湯。
zhōng wǔ diǎn hé fēng shā lā zài pèi wèi zēng tāng
A Japanese-style salad with miso soup for lunch.
味噌
wèi zēng
miso
味噌湯不要太鹹。
wèi zēng tāng bú yào tài xián
Please make the miso soup less salty.
卡拉 OK
kǎ lā ōu kēi
karaoke
週五一起去唱卡拉 OK。
zhōu wǔ yì qǐ qù chàng kǎ lā ōu kēi
Let’s hit karaoke Friday.
歐巴桑／歐吉桑
ōu bā sāng / ōu jí sāng
auntie/uncle (loan from Japanese; casual)
那位歐吉桑是老主顧。
nà wèi ōu jí sāng shì lǎo zhǔ gù
That uncle-type regular is a longtime customer.
御宅族
yù zhái zú
otaku/fandom folks
他是模型界的御宅族。
tā shì mó xíng jiè de yù zhái zú
He’s deep in the model-kit fandom.
Korean Pop & Food Loans
歐巴
ōu bā
oppa (K-pop talk; playful)
你最喜歡哪位韓團歐巴
nǐ zuì xǐ huān nǎ wèi hán tuán ōu bā
Which K-pop oppa is your favorite
韓式泡菜（泡菜）
hán shì pào cài (pào cài)
kimchi (Taiwan menus常標「韓式泡菜」)
泡菜加蛋拌飯超下飯。
pào cài jiā dàn bàn fàn chāo xià fàn
Kimchi with egg and rice is perfect.
年糕（韓式）
nián gāo (hán shì)
tteok (Korean rice cakes; Chinese name)
今天晚餐吃韓式年糕鍋。
jīn tiān wǎn cān chī hán shì nián gāo guō
Dinner is a tteokbokki-style hotpot.
Southeast & South Asian Routes (多經海路貿易傳入)
咖哩
gā lí
curry (Tamil/Hindi route; globalized)
想吃微辣的咖哩飯。
xiǎng chī wēi là de gā lí fàn
Going for mildly spicy curry rice.
沙嗲（沙爹）
shā diē (shā diē)
satay (Malay/Indonesian)
來兩串沙嗲，花生醬多一點。
lái liǎng chuàn shā diē, huā shēng jiàng duō yì diǎn
Two skewers of satay—extra peanut sauce.
巴東／仁當
bā dōng / rén dāng
rendang (Indonesian/Malay; Chinese menu terms vary)
這家仁當香料很厚實。
zhè jiā rén dāng xiāng liào hěn hòu shí
The rendang spices are deep and rich.
瑜珈
yú jiā
yoga (Sanskrit via global routes)
早上做二十分鐘瑜珈暖身。
zǎo shàng zuò èr shí fēn zhōng yú jiā nuǎn shēn
Twenty minutes of yoga to warm up.
芭樂（台灣用語）
bā lè
guava (Portuguese “goiaba” route via南洋；台灣常用)
路口水果攤的芭樂很甜。
lù kǒu shuǐ guǒ tān de bā lè hěn tián
The guavas at the corner stall are sweet.
Arabic–Persian & Mediterranean Flavors
檸檬
níng méng
lemon (Arabic route via Europe)
檸檬水不要太甜。
níng méng shuǐ bú yào tài tián
Lemon water, not too sweet.
茉莉（花／茶）
mò lì (huā / chá)
jasmine (Persian/Arabic route; Chinese long adopted)
茉莉綠茶一杯，中杯微糖。
mò lì lǜ chá yì bēi, zhōng bēi wēi táng
One jasmine green tea—medium, light sugar.
番紅花（藏紅花）
fān hóng huā (zàng hóng huā)
saffron (Arabic/Persian route)
番紅花海鮮飯色澤很漂亮。
fān hóng huā hǎi xiān fàn sè zé hěn piào liang
The saffron seafood rice has a gorgeous color.
Russian & Eastern European
伏特加
fú tè jiā
vodka
這款伏特加基酒很乾淨。
zhè kuǎn fú tè jiā jī jiǔ hěn gān jìng
This vodka base is very clean.
紅菜湯（羅宋湯）
hóng cài tāng (luó sòng tāng)
borscht (Chinese names vary by region)
午餐有一碗羅宋湯剛剛好。
wǔ cān yǒu yì wǎn luó sòng tāng gāng gāng hǎo
A bowl of borscht is perfect for lunch.
卡瓦
kǎ wá
kasha/caviar?（注意：卡瓦 kǎ wá在餐飲語境多指卡瓦酒西語；俄式魚子醬常寫魚子醬 yú zǐ jiàng。本條提醒辨識情境。）
點餐時若看到卡瓦，先確認是酒還是其他品項。
diǎn cān shí ruò kàn dào kǎ wá, xiān què rèn shì jiǔ hái shì qí tā pǐn xiàng
If “kawa/cava” pops up, check if it’s Spanish sparkling wine or something else.
German & Italian Ideas (概念傳入、中文命名)
幼稚園
yòu zhì yuán
kindergarten (German concept)
旁邊新開了一間幼稚園。
páng biān xīn kāi le yì jiān yòu zhì yuán
A new kindergarten opened next door.
啤酒
pí jiǔ
beer (word history links to European “bier/beer”; Chinese coined)
這家精釀啤酒很有特色。
zhè jiā jīng niàng pí jiǔ hěn yǒu tè sè
The craft beer here is distinctive.
拿坡里披薩
ná pō lǐ pī sà
Neapolitan pizza (Italian place-name route + English loan “pizza”)
今晚吃拿坡里披薩，餅皮要薄一點。
jīn wǎn chī ná pō lǐ pī sà, bǐng pí yào báo yì diǎn
Going for Neapolitan pizza—make the crust thinner.
提拉米蘇
tí lā mǐ sū
tiramisu (Italian)
想來一份提拉米蘇當甜點。
xiǎng lái yí fèn tí lā mǐ sū dāng tián diǎn
Tiramisu for dessert sounds right.
Portuguese Routes (航海時代引介詞彙)
番茄
fān qié
tomato (via Iberian trade)
番茄炒蛋要少油。
fān qié chǎo dàn yào shǎo yóu
Tomato-egg, easy on the oil.
鳳梨／菠蘿
fèng lí / bō luó
pineapple (terms differ by region; trade routes helped spread)
台灣多說鳳梨，菜市場很好買。
tái wān duō shuō fèng lí, cài shì chǎng hěn hǎo mǎi
“Fènglí” is standard in Taiwan; easy to find at markets.
Quick Menu & Market Mix (實用拚盤)
| Category | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| Japan | 便當 | biàn dāng | bento |
| Japan | 壽司 | shòu sī | sushi |
| Japan | 卡拉 OK | kǎ lā ōu kēi | karaoke |
| Korea | 韓式泡菜 | hán shì pào cài | kimchi |
| Korea | 歐巴 | ōu bā | oppa |
| SE Asia | 沙嗲 | shā diē | satay |
| South Asia | 咖哩 | gā lí | curry |
| Arabic/Persian | 檸檬 | níng méng | lemon |
| Arabic/Persian | 番紅花 | fān hóng huā | saffron |
| Russian | 伏特加 | fú tè jiā | vodka |
| German | 啤酒 | pí jiǔ | beer |
| Italian | 提拉米蘇 | tí lā mǐ sū | tiramisu |
| Portuguese route | 芭樂 | bā lè | guava (TW) |
| Portuguese route | 番茄 | fān qié | tomato |
Mini Dialogues（Copy-Ready）
A：午餐吃拉麵還是便當
A: wǔ cān chī lā miàn hái shì biàn dāng
Ramen or bento for lunch
B：便當好，配一碗味噌湯。
B: biàn dāng hǎo, pèi yì wǎn wèi zēng tāng
Bento—with a miso soup.
A：這家韓式泡菜會不會太辣
A: zhè jiā hán shì pào cài huì bú huì tài là
Is the kimchi here very spicy
B：中等辣度，可以試試看。
B: zhōng děng là dù, kě yǐ shì shì kàn
Medium heat—worth a try.
A：晚點去唱卡拉 OK，要不要一起
A: wǎn diǎn qù chàng kǎ lā ōu kēi, yào bú yào yì qǐ
Karaoke later—join
B：好啊，先吃個咖哩再過去。
B: hǎo a, xiān chī ge gā lí zài guò qù
Sure—curry first, then over.
Pitfalls & Polite Clarifiers
「羅宋湯」與「紅菜湯」：兩個名字都指 borscht；餐廳習慣不同。
卡瓦／卡瓦酒：有時指 西班牙 Cava（氣泡酒），不是俄式料理；先問清楚。
歐巴桑／歐吉桑：日語借詞，口語偏隨意；正式場合改用「女士／先生」。
禮貌確認句：
這個名字是外來語嗎，可以幫我解釋一下
zhè ge míng zì shì wài lái yǔ ma, kě yǐ bāng wǒ jiě shì yí xià
Is this a loanword? Could you explain it briefly
Pronunciation Cheat Notes
卡拉 OK：四個音節分開念，OK 讀字母音 ōu-kēi。
歐巴／歐巴桑：第一音節要清楚「ōu」，避免變成「ò」。
瑜珈：yú-jiā（第二＋第一），不要念成「yóu jiā」。
Five-Minute Practice Plan
讀一段「午餐三選」：便當／拉麵／咖哩，各造一句偏好理由。
寫兩句「點餐＋詢問辣度」：咖哩、韓式泡菜。
做一段 20 秒「今晚行程」：先吃沙嗲，再唱卡拉 OK。
把 Quick Menu 表格中的 8 個詞語錄音念順，隔天複誦一次。
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Loanwords are shortcuts with flavor. A handful of Japanese bites（便當、拉麵、卡拉 OK）, a sprinkle of K-vibes（歐巴、韓式泡菜）, plus a tour of curry、satay、tiramisu、伏特加—and suddenly Traditional Chinese chats glide through markets and midnight snacks with effortless, worldly charm.