Chinese Beer Vocabulary for Beginners

Learn how to talk about beer in simplified Chinese: 啤酒 (píjiǔ), styles, flavors, bar talk, and the phrases people actually use instead of waving at a menu and hoping for the best.

Beer vocabulary in Chinese gets useful fast. Whether you want a cold draft, a bottled lager, or just need to say “this one is too bitter,” the words below will save you from ordering blindly and smiling like you meant to do that.

Everything here uses simplified Chinese with pinyin and real examples. No mystery squiggles. No dramatic suffering. Just practical words you can use at a restaurant, bar, barbecue, convenience store, or loud table full of friends shouting 干杯 (gānbēi) every six minutes.

A Useful Thing To Know Early

In daily speech, 啤酒 (píjiǔ) is the main word you need. Fancy style names matter less than being able to say 冰的 (bīng de, cold), 扎啤 (zhāpí, draft beer), 瓶装 (píngzhuāng, bottled), or 有点苦 (yǒudiǎn kǔ, a bit bitter). That is how real ordering usually works.

Core Beer Words You Will Use A Lot

啤酒

píjiǔ

beer

扎啤

zhāpí

draft beer

生啤

shēngpí

fresh beer / draft-style beer

精酿啤酒

jīngniàng píjiǔ

craft beer

冰镇

bīngzhèn

ice-cold / chilled

瓶装

píngzhuāng

bottled

罐装

guànzhuāng

canned

泡沫

pàomò

foam / head

Useful Beer Phrases And Real-Life Sentences

我要一杯啤酒。
Wǒ yào yì bēi píjiǔ.
I want a beer.
来一瓶冰镇啤酒。
Lái yì píng bīngzhèn píjiǔ.
Bring me one chilled beer.
有扎啤吗？
Yǒu zhāpí ma?
Do you have draft beer?
你们有什么精酿啤酒？
Nǐmen yǒu shénme jīngniàng píjiǔ?
What craft beers do you have?
这个啤酒有点苦。
Zhège píjiǔ yǒudiǎn kǔ.
This beer is a bit bitter.
这个口感很清爽。
Zhège kǒugǎn hěn qīngshuǎng.
This has a very refreshing mouthfeel.
酒精度高吗？
Jiǔjīngdù gāo ma?
Is the alcohol content high?
我想喝淡一点的。
Wǒ xiǎng hē dàn yìdiǎn de.
I want something lighter.
给我推荐一款吧。
Gěi wǒ tuījiàn yì kuǎn ba.
Recommend one for me.
这一款麦香很明显。
Zhè yì kuǎn màixiāng hěn míngxiǎn.
This one has a clear malty aroma.
这杯泡沫太多了。
Zhè bēi pàomò tài duō le.
This glass has too much foam.
我们先干一杯。
Wǒmen xiān gān yì bēi.
Let’s drink a toast first.
干杯！
Gānbēi!
Cheers!
我酒量一般。
Wǒ jiǔliàng yìbān.
My alcohol tolerance is average.
我今天不开车，所以可以喝一点。
Wǒ jīntiān bù kāichē, suǒyǐ kěyǐ hē yìdiǎn.
I’m not driving today, so I can drink a little.

Beer Vocabulary By Category

Below are more than 50 useful beer-related words and phrases in Chinese. They are grouped so your brain does not have to wrestle one giant miserable wall of vocabulary.

Beer Types And Styles

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
啤酒	píjiǔ	beer	我喜欢喝啤酒。	Wǒ xǐhuan hē píjiǔ.	I like drinking beer.
扎啤	zhāpí	draft beer	这家店的扎啤很新鲜。	Zhè jiā diàn de zhāpí hěn xīnxiān.	The draft beer at this place is very fresh.
生啤	shēngpí	fresh beer / draft-style beer	我想试试生啤。	Wǒ xiǎng shìshi shēngpí.	I want to try the fresh beer.
精酿啤酒	jīngniàng píjiǔ	craft beer	他最近迷上了精酿啤酒。	Tā zuìjìn míshang le jīngniàng píjiǔ.	He has recently gotten into craft beer.
拉格	lāgé	lager	拉格通常比较清爽。	Lāgé tōngcháng bǐjiào qīngshuǎng.	Lager is usually more refreshing.
艾尔	ài’ěr	ale	这款艾尔香气更重。	Zhè kuǎn ài’ěr xiāngqì gèng zhòng.	This ale has a stronger aroma.
黑啤	hēipí	dark beer / stout-like beer	黑啤的味道更浓。	Hēipí de wèidào gèng nóng.	Dark beer has a richer flavor.
小麦啤酒	xiǎomài píjiǔ	wheat beer	小麦啤酒喝起来很顺。	Xiǎomài píjiǔ hē qǐlái hěn shùn.	Wheat beer goes down smoothly.
白啤	báipí	wheat beer / white beer	夏天喝白啤很舒服。	Xiàtiān hē báipí hěn shūfu.	White beer is great in summer.
果啤	guǒpí	fruit beer	她更喜欢果啤。	Tā gèng xǐhuan guǒpí.	She prefers fruit beer.

Packaging, Serving, And Ordering

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
瓶装	píngzhuāng	bottled	我要瓶装的。	Wǒ yào píngzhuāng de.	I want the bottled one.
罐装	guànzhuāng	canned	便利店里罐装的比较多。	Biànlìdiàn lǐ guànzhuāng de bǐjiào duō.	There are more canned ones in convenience stores.
一瓶	yì píng	one bottle	先来一瓶吧。	Xiān lái yì píng ba.	Let’s start with one bottle.
一罐	yí guàn	one can	我只喝一罐。	Wǒ zhǐ hē yí guàn.	I’ll only drink one can.
一杯	yì bēi	one glass	给我来一杯扎啤。	Gěi wǒ lái yì bēi zhāpí.	Give me a glass of draft beer.
冰镇	bīngzhèn	chilled	啤酒一定要冰镇的。	Píjiǔ yídìng yào bīngzhèn de.	The beer has to be cold.
常温	chángwēn	room temperature	我不要常温的。	Wǒ bú yào chángwēn de.	I don’t want room-temperature beer.
杯子	bēizi	glass / cup	麻烦再拿两个杯子。	Máfan zài ná liǎng ge bēizi.	Please bring two more glasses.
开瓶器	kāipíngqì	bottle opener	这里有开瓶器吗？	Zhèlǐ yǒu kāipíngqì ma?	Is there a bottle opener here?
续杯	xùbēi	refill / another glass	喝完以后可以续杯吗？	Hē wán yǐhòu kěyǐ xùbēi ma?	Can I get another glass after this?

Taste And Texture Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
苦	kǔ	bitter	这款有一点苦。	Zhè kuǎn yǒu yìdiǎn kǔ.	This one is a little bitter.
甜	tián	sweet	我不喜欢太甜的啤酒。	Wǒ bù xǐhuan tài tián de píjiǔ.	I don’t like beer that is too sweet.
酸	suān	sour	这款喝起来有点酸。	Zhè kuǎn hē qǐlái yǒudiǎn suān.	This one tastes a bit sour.
清爽	qīngshuǎng	refreshing	这款很清爽，适合夏天。	Zhè kuǎn hěn qīngshuǎng, shìhé xiàtiān.	This one is refreshing and good for summer.
浓郁	nóngyù	rich / full-bodied	黑啤的口感比较浓郁。	Hēipí de kǒugǎn bǐjiào nóngyù.	Dark beer has a richer mouthfeel.
顺口	shùnkǒu	smooth and easy to drink	这酒很顺口。	Zhè jiǔ hěn shùnkǒu.	This drink is very smooth.
清淡	qīngdàn	light in flavor	我想喝口味清淡一点的。	Wǒ xiǎng hē kǒuwèi qīngdàn yìdiǎn de.	I want something lighter in flavor.
麦香	màixiāng	malty aroma	这款的麦香不错。	Zhè kuǎn de màixiāng búcuò.	This one has a nice malty aroma.
酒花香	jiǔhuāxiāng	hoppy aroma	我喜欢酒花香重一点的。	Wǒ xǐhuan jiǔhuāxiāng zhòng yìdiǎn de.	I like ones with a stronger hoppy aroma.
泡沫	pàomò	foam / head	泡沫很细。	Pàomò hěn xì.	The foam is very fine.

Strength, Drinking, And Social Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
酒精度	jiǔjīngdù	alcohol content	这款酒精度不高。	Zhè kuǎn jiǔjīngdù bù gāo.	This one does not have high alcohol content.
度数	dùshù	ABV / degree of alcohol	这款度数是多少？	Zhè kuǎn dùshù shì duōshao?	What is the ABV of this one?
低度	dīdù	low-alcohol	我想喝低度的。	Wǒ xiǎng hē dīdù de.	I want something low-alcohol.
高度	gāodù	high-alcohol	这不是高度啤酒。	Zhè bú shì gāodù píjiǔ.	This is not a high-alcohol beer.
微醺	wēixūn	pleasantly tipsy	喝两杯就有点微醺了。	Hē liǎng bēi jiù yǒudiǎn wēixūn le.	After two glasses I feel pleasantly tipsy.
喝醉	hēzuì	to get drunk	我不想喝醉。	Wǒ bù xiǎng hēzuì.	I do not want to get drunk.
酒量	jiǔliàng	alcohol tolerance	他的酒量很好。	Tā de jiǔliàng hěn hǎo.	He has a high alcohol tolerance.
干杯	gānbēi	cheers / bottoms up	大家一起干杯！	Dàjiā yìqǐ gānbēi!	Cheers, everyone!
碰杯	pèngbēi	clink glasses	我们先碰个杯吧。	Wǒmen xiān pèng ge bēi ba.	Let’s clink glasses first.
请客	qǐngkè	to treat / pay for others	今天我请客，大家放轻松。	Jīntiān wǒ qǐngkè, dàjiā fàng qīngsōng.	I’m treating today, everybody relax.

Bar And Restaurant Survival Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
酒吧	jiǔbā	bar	附近有不错的酒吧吗？	Fùjìn yǒu búcuò de jiǔbā ma?	Is there a good bar nearby?
菜单	càidān	menu	请给我看看啤酒菜单。	Qǐng gěi wǒ kànkan píjiǔ càidān.	Please let me see the beer menu.
推荐	tuījiàn	recommend	你能推荐一款吗？	Nǐ néng tuījiàn yì kuǎn ma?	Can you recommend one?
买一送一	mǎi yī sòng yī	buy one get one	今天有买一送一活动。	Jīntiān yǒu mǎi yī sòng yī huódòng.	There is a buy-one-get-one deal today.
打折	dǎzhé	discount	这款今天打折吗？	Zhè kuǎn jīntiān dǎzhé ma?	Is this one discounted today?
活动	huódòng	promotion / event	周五晚上有什么活动？	Zhōuwǔ wǎnshang yǒu shénme huódòng?	What promotions are there on Friday night?
下酒菜	xiàjiǔcài	snacks to go with alcohol	你们有什么下酒菜？	Nǐmen yǒu shénme xiàjiǔcài?	What drinking snacks do you have?
花生	huāshēng	peanuts	啤酒配花生很经典。	Píjiǔ pèi huāshēng hěn jīngdiǎn.	Beer with peanuts is classic.
烤串	kǎochuàn	grilled skewers	烤串配啤酒很合适。	Kǎochuàn pèi píjiǔ hěn héshì.	Skewers go well with beer.
再来一轮	zài lái yì lún	another round	要不要再来一轮？	Yào bú yào zài lái yì lún?	Do you want another round?

Quick Variants And Near-Synonyms

Word	Pinyin	Use	Notes
啤酒	píjiǔ	beer	The standard everyday word.
扎啤	zhāpí	draft beer	Very useful in bars and barbecue places.
生啤	shēngpí	fresh beer	Often overlaps with draft-style service.
白啤	báipí	wheat beer	Common menu term.
黑啤	hēipí	dark beer	Useful casual label, even when not technically precise.
精酿啤酒	jīngniàng píjiǔ	craft beer	The word you want in a more specialized beer place.
冰镇	bīngzhèn	ice-cold	Better than vague hand gestures at the fridge.
顺口	shùnkǒu	smooth	A very natural compliment for an easy-drinking beer.

A Curious Bit That Helps

Chinese menus are often practical, not poetic. You will usually see straightforward labels like 扎啤 (zhāpí), 瓶装 (píngzhuāng), 罐装 (guànzhuāng), 黑啤 (hēipí), and 白啤 (báipí). That means you do not need a masterclass in beer taxonomy to survive. You need a few clean words, a decent accent, and the courage to ask 这个怎么样？(Zhège zěnmeyàng?, How is this one?)

Quick Reference Summary

啤酒 (píjiǔ) = beer
扎啤 (zhāpí) = draft beer
精酿啤酒 (jīngniàng píjiǔ) = craft beer
冰镇 (bīngzhèn) = chilled
顺口 (shùnkǒu) = smooth and easy to drink
酒精度 (jiǔjīngdù) / 度数 (dùshù) = alcohol content / ABV
干杯 (gānbēi) = cheers
再来一轮 (zài lái yì lún) = another round

Final Yak Box

If you only remember five things, make them 啤酒 (píjiǔ), 扎啤 (zhāpí), 冰镇 (bīngzhèn), 顺口 (shùnkǒu), and 干杯 (gānbēi). That tiny set already lets you order, react, and sound like a person who came prepared instead of a confused tourist staring at bubbles with determination.