How To Order Coffee In Chinese

Useful café Chinese: 点咖啡 (diǎn kāfēi) — order coffee, with simple phrases, pinyin, and real-life examples that actually sound normal.

Walking into a café in China sounds fun right up until the barista starts talking at full speed and your brain leaves the building. The good news is that coffee ordering Chinese is very learnable, very practical, and nowhere near as scary as a menu with twelve milk options.

This guide gives you the words you actually need: how to say what drink you want, what size, hot or iced, how sweet, what milk, and how to survive pickup without pretending you suddenly forgot your own name.

Start With This Survival Line

我要一杯拿铁。
Wǒ yào yì bēi nátiě.
I want one latte.

That one sentence already gets you surprisingly far. Add size, temperature, and sugar, and suddenly you look like someone who has done this before instead of someone panic-ordering plain water.

Quick Coffee Words You Will Use All The Time

咖啡

kāfēi

coffee

我想喝咖啡。
Wǒ xiǎng hē kāfēi.
I want to drink coffee.

拿铁

nátiě

latte

请给我一杯拿铁。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi nátiě.
Please give me a latte.

美式

měishì

Americano

我要一杯冰美式。
Wǒ yào yì bēi bīng měishì.
I want an iced Americano.

热的

rè de

hot

我要热的。
Wǒ yào rè de.
I want it hot.

冰的

bīng de

iced

这杯要冰的。
Zhè bēi yào bīng de.
This one should be iced.

少糖

shǎo táng

less sugar

请做少糖。
Qǐng zuò shǎo táng.
Please make it less sweet.

Useful Phrases For Ordering Coffee In Chinese

我要一杯拿铁。
Wǒ yào yì bēi nátiě.
I want one latte.
我想点一杯咖啡。
Wǒ xiǎng diǎn yì bēi kāfēi.
I’d like to order a coffee.
大杯。
Dà bēi.
Large size.
中杯。
Zhōng bēi.
Medium size.
小杯。
Xiǎo bēi.
Small size.
热的还是冰的？
Rè de háishì bīng de?
Hot or iced?
我要冰的。
Wǒ yào bīng de.
I want it iced.
不要太甜。
Bú yào tài tián.
Not too sweet.
无糖。
Wú táng.
No sugar.
加奶。
Jiā nǎi.
Add milk.
不要奶。
Bú yào nǎi.
No milk.
可以燕麦奶吗？
Kěyǐ yànmài nǎi ma?
Can I get oat milk?
在这儿喝。
Zài zhèr hē.
Drink here.
打包。
Dǎbāo.
Take away.
请问怎么付款？
Qǐngwèn zěnme fùkuǎn?
How do I pay?
我扫码。
Wǒ sǎomǎ.
I’ll scan the code.
我叫什么名字？
Wǒ jiào shénme míngzi?
What name should I use?
我姓李。
Wǒ xìng Lǐ.
My surname is Li.
好了叫我。
Hǎo le jiào wǒ.
Call me when it’s ready.
谢谢。
Xièxie.
Thanks.

Mini Dialogues You Can Actually Use

Simple Order

店员：您好，想喝点什么？
Diànyuán: Nín hǎo, xiǎng hē diǎn shénme?
Staff: Hello, what would you like to drink?

你：我要一杯热拿铁。
Nǐ: Wǒ yào yì bēi rè nátiě.
You: I want a hot latte.

店员：大杯、中杯还是小杯？
Diànyuán: Dà bēi, zhōng bēi háishì xiǎo bēi?
Staff: Large, medium, or small?

你：中杯，少糖。
Nǐ: Zhōng bēi, shǎo táng.
You: Medium, less sugar.

Takeaway Order

店员：在这儿喝还是打包？
Diànyuán: Zài zhèr hē háishì dǎbāo?
Staff: For here or takeaway?

你：打包，谢谢。
Nǐ: Dǎbāo, xièxie.
You: Takeaway, thanks.

店员：需要吸管吗？
Diànyuán: Xūyào xīguǎn ma?
Staff: Do you need a straw?

你：不用了。
Nǐ: Bú yòng le.
You: No need.

Custom Drink

店员：要不要加糖？
Diànyuán: Yào bú yào jiā táng?
Staff: Do you want sugar?

你：无糖，可以加燕麦奶吗？
Nǐ: Wú táng, kěyǐ jiā yànmài nǎi ma?
You: No sugar, can you add oat milk?

店员：可以。
Diànyuán: Kěyǐ.
Staff: Yes.

你：那就这样。
Nǐ: Nà jiù zhèyàng.
You: That’ll do.

Useful Notes So You Do Not Sound Weird

我要 (wǒ yào) is direct and very common in casual orders. It means “I want.” It is normal in cafés, not rude.
我想点 (wǒ xiǎng diǎn) sounds a bit softer, like “I’d like to order.”
点 (diǎn) means “to order,” while 买 (mǎi) means “to buy.” In a café, 点咖啡 (diǎn kāfēi) sounds more natural than 买咖啡 (mǎi kāfēi).
打包 (dǎbāo) is the everyday way to say takeaway or to-go. Very useful. Hero-level useful.
少糖 (shǎo táng) is often safer than saying 微糖 (wēi táng), because not every café uses the same sweetness system.

Coffee Drinks And Menu Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
咖啡	kāfēi	coffee	我每天早上喝咖啡。	Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang hē kāfēi.	I drink coffee every morning.
拿铁	nátiě	latte	她点了一杯热拿铁。	Tā diǎn le yì bēi rè nátiě.	She ordered a hot latte.
美式	měishì	Americano	我想要一杯冰美式。	Wǒ xiǎng yào yì bēi bīng měishì.	I’d like an iced Americano.
卡布奇诺	kǎbùqínuò	cappuccino	卡布奇诺上面有奶泡。	Kǎbùqínuò shàngmiàn yǒu nǎipào.	There is milk foam on top of a cappuccino.
浓缩	nóngsuō	espresso	他先喝了一杯浓缩。	Tā xiān hē le yì bēi nóngsuō.	He drank an espresso first.
摩卡	mókǎ	mocha	摩卡通常比较甜。	Mókǎ tōngcháng bǐjiào tián.	Mocha is usually sweeter.
焦糖玛奇朵	jiāotáng mǎqíduǒ	caramel macchiato	我要一杯焦糖玛奇朵。	Wǒ yào yì bēi jiāotáng mǎqíduǒ.	I want a caramel macchiato.
冷萃	lěngcuì	cold brew	天气热的时候，我喜欢冷萃。	Tiānqì rè de shíhou, wǒ xǐhuan lěngcuì.	When it’s hot, I like cold brew.
奶泡	nǎipào	milk foam	请多一点奶泡。	Qǐng duō yìdiǎn nǎipào.	Please add a bit more milk foam.
菜单	càidān	menu	请给我看一下菜单。	Qǐng gěi wǒ kàn yíxià càidān.	Please let me look at the menu.

Sizes, Temperature, And Basic Choices

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
大杯	dà bēi	large cup	我要大杯。	Wǒ yào dà bēi.	I want a large.
中杯	zhōng bēi	medium cup	中杯就可以。	Zhōng bēi jiù kěyǐ.	Medium is fine.
小杯	xiǎo bēi	small cup	给我小杯的。	Gěi wǒ xiǎo bēi de.	Give me the small one.
热的	rè de	hot	今天我想喝热的。	Jīntiān wǒ xiǎng hē rè de.	Today I want something hot.
冰的	bīng de	iced	夏天我常喝冰的。	Xiàtiān wǒ cháng hē bīng de.	In summer I often drink iced coffee.
常温	chángwēn	room temperature	我想要常温的。	Wǒ xiǎng yào chángwēn de.	I’d like it at room temperature.
多冰	duō bīng	extra ice	这杯请做多冰。	Zhè bēi qǐng zuò duō bīng.	Please make this with extra ice.
少冰	shǎo bīng	less ice	我要少冰。	Wǒ yào shǎo bīng.	I want less ice.
去冰	qù bīng	no ice	冰美式可以去冰吗？	Bīng měishì kěyǐ qù bīng ma?	Can the iced Americano be without ice?
一杯	yì bēi	one cup	我要一杯咖啡。	Wǒ yào yì bēi kāfēi.	I want one coffee.

Sugar, Milk, And Custom Orders

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
加糖	jiā táng	add sugar	请帮我加糖。	Qǐng bāng wǒ jiā táng.	Please add sugar for me.
无糖	wú táng	no sugar	我喝无糖的。	Wǒ hē wú táng de.	I drink mine without sugar.
少糖	shǎo táng	less sugar	这杯做少糖。	Zhè bēi zuò shǎo táng.	Make this one less sweet.
半糖	bàn táng	half sugar	我要半糖。	Wǒ yào bàn táng.	I want half sugar.
全糖	quán táng	full sugar	他喜欢全糖。	Tā xǐhuan quán táng.	He likes full sugar.
牛奶	niúnǎi	milk	拿铁里有牛奶。	Nátiě lǐ yǒu niúnǎi.	There is milk in a latte.
燕麦奶	yànmài nǎi	oat milk	可以换成燕麦奶吗？	Kěyǐ huàn chéng yànmài nǎi ma?	Can I switch it to oat milk?
豆奶	dòunǎi	soy milk	我想加豆奶。	Wǒ xiǎng jiā dòunǎi.	I want to add soy milk.
加奶	jiā nǎi	add milk	请加一点奶。	Qǐng jiā yìdiǎn nǎi.	Please add a little milk.
不要奶	bú yào nǎi	no milk	这杯不要奶。	Zhè bēi bú yào nǎi.	No milk in this one.

Café Basics: Ordering, Payment, And Pickup

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
点	diǎn	to order	我想点咖啡。	Wǒ xiǎng diǎn kāfēi.	I’d like to order coffee.
我要	wǒ yào	I want	我要一杯拿铁。	Wǒ yào yì bēi nátiě.	I want a latte.
我想	wǒ xiǎng	I would like	我想喝点热的。	Wǒ xiǎng hē diǎn rè de.	I’d like something hot.
请问	qǐngwèn	excuse me / may I ask	请问，洗手间在哪儿？	Qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr?	Excuse me, where is the restroom?
在这儿喝	zài zhèr hē	drink here	我们在这儿喝。	Wǒmen zài zhèr hē.	We’re drinking here.
打包	dǎbāo	take away	这杯打包。	Zhè bēi dǎbāo.	This one is to go.
付款	fùkuǎn	pay / payment	请问在哪里付款？	Qǐngwèn zài nǎlǐ fùkuǎn?	Where do I pay?
扫码	sǎomǎ	scan a code	我可以扫码付款。	Wǒ kěyǐ sǎomǎ fùkuǎn.	I can pay by scanning the code.
现金	xiànjīn	cash	可以用现金吗？	Kěyǐ yòng xiànjīn ma?	Can I use cash?
名字	míngzi	name	我的名字是安娜。	Wǒ de míngzi shì Ānnà.	My name is Anna.

Pickup And Seating Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
好了	hǎo le	ready / done	咖啡好了。	Kāfēi hǎo le.	The coffee is ready.
取餐	qǔ cān	pick up order	请到那边取餐。	Qǐng dào nàbiān qǔ cān.	Please pick up your order over there.
等一下	děng yíxià	wait a moment	请等一下。	Qǐng děng yíxià.	Please wait a moment.
杯盖	bēigài	cup lid	请帮我盖上杯盖。	Qǐng bāng wǒ gài shàng bēigài.	Please put on the lid for me.
吸管	xīguǎn	straw	我不需要吸管。	Wǒ bú xūyào xīguǎn.	I don’t need a straw.
勺子	sháozi	spoon	请给我一个勺子。	Qǐng gěi wǒ yí ge sháozi.	Please give me a spoon.
纸巾	zhǐjīn	napkin / tissue	我想拿一点纸巾。	Wǒ xiǎng ná yìdiǎn zhǐjīn.	I want to take some napkins.
座位	zuòwèi	seat	那边有空座位吗？	Nàbiān yǒu kòng zuòwèi ma?	Are there empty seats over there?
店员	diànyuán	staff member	店员很热情。	Diànyuán hěn rèqíng.	The staff member is very friendly.
排队	páiduì	line up	我们先排队吧。	Wǒmen xiān páiduì ba.	Let’s line up first.

Helpful Variants And Natural Swaps

Pattern	Pinyin	Use	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
我要……	Wǒ yào…	direct, common order	我要一杯冰拿铁。	Wǒ yào yì bēi bīng nátiě.	I want an iced latte.
我想点……	Wǒ xiǎng diǎn…	slightly softer	我想点一杯美式。	Wǒ xiǎng diǎn yì bēi měishì.	I’d like to order an Americano.
可以……吗？	Kěyǐ… ma?	ask for an option	可以少冰吗？	Kěyǐ shǎo bīng ma?	Can it be less ice?
不要……	Bú yào…	say what you do not want	不要糖，谢谢。	Bú yào táng, xièxie.	No sugar, thanks.
加……	Jiā…	add something	请加燕麦奶。	Qǐng jiā yànmài nǎi.	Please add oat milk.
换成……	Huàn chéng…	switch to something else	可以换成豆奶吗？	Kěyǐ huàn chéng dòunǎi ma?	Can I switch it to soy milk?

Practice Section

Try saying these out loud. Yes, out loud. Whispering at your screen does count.

“I want a medium hot latte, less sugar.”
我要一杯中杯热拿铁，少糖。
Wǒ yào yì bēi zhōng bēi rè nátiě, shǎo táng.
“Can I get an iced Americano with less ice?”
我想点一杯少冰冰美式。
Wǒ xiǎng diǎn yì bēi shǎo bīng bīng měishì.
“To go, please.”
打包，谢谢。
Dǎbāo, xièxie.
“Can you switch it to oat milk?”
可以换成燕麦奶吗？
Kěyǐ huàn chéng yànmài nǎi ma?
“No sugar, no ice.”
无糖，去冰。
Wú táng, qù bīng.

Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes

Wrong: 我要买一杯咖啡。
Wǒ yào mǎi yì bēi kāfēi.
Better: 我要一杯咖啡。
Wǒ yào yì bēi kāfēi.
Using 买 (mǎi) is not terrible, but 点 (diǎn) or just 我要 (wǒ yào) sounds more natural when ordering.
Wrong: 我要冰。
Wǒ yào bīng.
Better: 我要冰的。
Wǒ yào bīng de.
The 的 (de) helps make it sound like “iced one” rather than just “I want ice.”
Wrong: 不糖。
Bù táng.
Better: 不要糖 / 无糖。
Bú yào táng / Wú táng.
Say “don’t want sugar” or “no sugar.” Tiny change, much less strange.
Wrong: 我一个拿铁。
Wǒ yí ge nátiě.
Better: 我要一杯拿铁。
Wǒ yào yì bēi nátiě.
杯 (bēi) is the natural measure word here.

Quick Reference Summary

Order starter: 我要…… (Wǒ yào…) — I want…
Softer order: 我想点…… (Wǒ xiǎng diǎn…) — I’d like to order…
Sizes: 大杯 (dà bēi), 中杯 (zhōng bēi), 小杯 (xiǎo bēi)
Temperature: 热的 (rè de), 冰的 (bīng de)
Sugar: 无糖 (wú táng), 少糖 (shǎo táng), 半糖 (bàn táng)
Milk: 牛奶 (niúnǎi), 燕麦奶 (yànmài nǎi), 豆奶 (dòunǎi)
Takeaway: 打包 (dǎbāo)
Drink here: 在这儿喝 (zài zhèr hē)

Final Yak Box

You do not need perfect Chinese to order coffee. You need a drink name, one useful sentence, and the courage to say 少糖 (shǎo táng) like you totally meant to become this competent today. Start with 我要一杯拿铁 (Wǒ yào yì bēi nátiě) and build from there.