Kitchens are language gyms. Every pot, spoon, and whirring machine is a new word you can actually use at breakfast. This guide gives you high-yield Traditional Chinese utensil names with pinyin right after, plus natural phrases so you can ask for the whisk without miming a tornado.
Core Cookware
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Notes / Example |
| pot | 鍋子 | guō zi | 一個鍋子 yí ge guōzi a pot |
| soup/stock pot | 湯鍋 | tāng guō | 大湯鍋 dà tāngguō |
| skillet/frying pan | 平底鍋 | píng dǐ guō | 不沾平底鍋 nonstick pan |
| wok | 炒鍋／鑊 | chǎo guō / huò | 台灣常說炒鍋 |
| saucepan | 醬汁鍋 | jiàng zhī guō | 小醬汁鍋 small |
| steamer | 蒸鍋 | zhēng guō | 電鍋也常用來蒸 |
| pressure cooker | 高壓鍋 | gāo yā guō | |
| Dutch oven | 厚底鑄鐵鍋 | hòu dǐ zhù tiě guō | |
| lid | 鍋蓋 | guō gài | 請把鍋蓋蓋上 qǐng bǎ guōgài gài shàng Put the lid on |
Everyday Tools
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Notes / Example |
| cutting board | 砧板 | zhēn bǎn | 木砧板 mù zhēnbǎn |
| chef’s knife | 廚師刀 | chú shī dāo | 一把刀 yì bǎ dāo |
| paring knife | 小刀 | xiǎo dāo | |
| scissors | 剪刀 | jiǎn dāo | 廚房剪刀 |
| peeler | 削皮器 | xiāo pí qì | 馬鈴薯削皮器 |
| grater | 刨絲器 | páo sī qì | 起司刨絲器 qǐ sī páosīqì cheese grater |
| spatula (flipper) | 鍋鏟 | guō chǎn | |
| spatula (scraper) | 刮刀 | guā dāo | 矽膠刮刀 xìjiāo |
| tongs | 夾子 | jiá zi | 食物夾 shí wù jiá |
| ladle | 湯勺 | tāng sháo | |
| slotted spoon | 漏勺 | lòu sháo | |
| whisk | 攪拌器 | jiǎo bàn qì | 手持攪拌器 hand whisk |
| colander/strainer | 瀝水籃／濾網 | lì shuǐ lán / lǜ wǎng | |
| can opener | 開罐器 | kāi guàn qì | |
| bottle opener | 開瓶器 | kāi píng qì | |
| rolling pin | 擀麵棍 | gǎn miàn gùn |
Measuring & Baking
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Notes / Example |
| measuring cup | 量杯 | liáng bēi | 一個量杯 yí ge liángbēi |
| measuring spoon(s) | 量匙／量勺 | liáng chí / liáng sháo | 一組量匙 yì zǔ |
| kitchen scale | 廚房秤 | chú fáng chèng | 電子秤 diàn zǐ chèng |
| mixing bowl | 攪拌盆 | jiǎo bàn pén | 不鏽鋼攪拌盆 |
| baking sheet | 烤盤 | kǎo pán | |
| cake pan | 蛋糕模 | dàn gāo mó | |
| muffin tin | 馬芬烤模 | mǎ fēn kǎo mó | |
| parchment | 烘焙紙 | hōng bèi zhǐ | |
| aluminum foil | 鋁箔紙 | lǚ bó zhǐ | |
| plastic wrap | 保鮮膜 | bǎo xiān mó |
Cutlery & Tableware
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Notes / Example |
| chopsticks | 筷子 | kuài zi | 一雙筷子 yì shuāng kuàizi |
| spoon | 湯匙 | tāng chí | 一支湯匙 yì zhī tāngchí |
| fork | 叉子 | chā zi | |
| knife (table) | 餐刀 | cān dāo | |
| bowl | 碗 | wǎn | 一個碗 yí ge wǎn |
| plate | 盤子 | pán zi | 小盤／大盤 |
| small dish | 碟子 | dié zi | 醬油碟 |
| cup | 杯子 | bēi zi | |
| mug | 馬克杯 | mǎ kè bēi | |
| wine glass | 酒杯 | jiǔ bēi | 紅酒杯／白酒杯 |
Small Appliances (Taiwan Essentials)
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Notes / Example |
| rice cooker | 電鍋／電飯鍋 | diàn guō / diàn fàn guō | 台灣常說電鍋（多功能） |
| microwave | 微波爐 | wéi bō lú | |
| oven | 烤箱 | kǎo xiāng | 檯面烤箱 counter oven |
| air fryer | 氣炸鍋 | qì zhà guō | |
| blender | 果汁機 | guǒ zhī jī | smoothies 等 |
| mixer | 攪拌機 | jiǎo bàn jī | 立式／手持 |
| food processor | 食物處理機 | shí wù chǔ lǐ jī | |
| electric kettle | 電熱水壺 | diàn rè shuǐ hú | 快速煮水 |
Pantry & Storage Helpers
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Notes / Example |
| oil bottle | 油瓶 | yóu píng | 橄欖油瓶 |
| spice jar | 調味罐 | tiáo wèi guàn | |
| food container | 保鮮盒 | bǎo xiān hé | 玻璃保鮮盒 |
| dish rack | 瀝水架 | lì shuǐ jià | |
| mitt | 隔熱手套 | gé rè shǒu tào | |
| trivet | 隔熱墊 | gé rè diàn |
Action Verbs You’ll Actually Use
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Example |
| to cut/slice | 切／切片／切絲／切丁 | qiē / qiē piàn / qiē sī / qiē dīng | 把洋蔥切丁 bǎ yáng cōng qiē dīng dice the onion |
| to chop | 剁 | duò | 剁蒜 duò suàn |
| to peel | 削皮 | xiāo pí | 用削皮器削皮 |
| to stir | 攪拌 | jiǎo bàn | 用攪拌器攪拌 jiǎobàn |
| to fry | 煎／炸 | jiān / zhà | 煎蛋／炸雞 |
| to stir-fry | 炒 | chǎo | 炒青菜 |
| to steam | 蒸 | zhēng | 蒸魚 |
| to boil | 煮 | zhǔ | 煮麵 |
| to stew/braise | 燉／滷 | dùn / lǔ | 燉牛肉／滷肉 |
| to bake/roast | 烤 | kǎo | 烤地瓜 |
| to pour | 倒 | dào | 倒進碗裡 dào jìn wǎn lǐ |
| to strain | 濾／瀝水 | lǜ / lì shuǐ | 用濾網濾茶 |
Pattern you’ll reuse:
用＋工具＋動作＋食材
yòng + gōng jù + dòng zuò + shí cái
Use [tool] to [verb] the [ingredient].
用鍋鏟翻面煎蛋。yòng guōchǎn fān miàn jiān dàn Use the spatula to flip the egg.
Measure Words (量詞) For Kitchen Things
| Item | Measure Word | Example |
| knives, scissors, spatulas | 把 bǎ | 一把刀 yì bǎ dāo |
| spoons, chopsticks (single) | 支 zhī | 一支湯匙 yì zhī tāngchí |
| a pair of chopsticks | 雙 shuāng | 一雙筷子 yì shuāng kuàizi |
| bowls, plates, pots, cups | 個 ge | 一個碗／一個鍋子 |
| sheets/paper/foil | 張 zhāng | 一張烘焙紙 |
| containers (set) | 組 zǔ | 一組量匙 |
Natural Phrases In The Kitchen
把砧板拿過來，幫我把番茄切片。
bǎ zhēnbǎn ná guò lái, bāng wǒ bǎ fān qié qiē piàn
Bring the cutting board and help me slice the tomatoes.
湯有點鹹，請拿調味罐，我加一點糖。
tāng yǒu diǎn xián, qǐng ná tiáowèiguàn, wǒ jiā yì diǎn táng
The soup’s a bit salty—grab the spice jar; I’ll add a little sugar.
用濾網把麵瀝乾，再用夾子拌醬。
yòng lǜwǎng bǎ miàn lì gān, zài yòng jiázi bàn jiàng
Strain the noodles with the sieve, then use the tongs to toss in the sauce.
麻煩把鍋蓋掀開，我要看看湯。
má fán bǎ guōgài xiān kāi, wǒ yào kàn kàn tāng
Please lift the lid—I need to check the soup.
At The Store: Asking For Utensils
請問有不沾平底鍋嗎？
qǐng wèn yǒu bù zhān píng dǐ guō ma
Do you have nonstick skillets?
我想找矽膠刮刀，耐熱的。
wǒ xiǎng zhǎo xìjiāo guādāo, nài rè de
I’m looking for a silicone scraper that’s heat-resistant.
這個湯勺有比較大的尺寸嗎？
zhè ge tāngsháo yǒu bǐ jiào dà de chǐ cùn ma
Does this ladle come in a larger size?
量杯有毫升跟盎司的刻度嗎？
liángbēi yǒu háo shēng gēn àng sī de kè dù ma
Does the measuring cup have both ml and oz marks?
Mini Dialogues
A：鍋鏟在哪裡？
A: guō chǎn zài nǎ lǐ
Where’s the spatula?
B：在爐子旁邊的掛勾上。
B: zài lú zi páng biān de guà gōu shàng
On the hook next to the stove.
A：這個電鍋怎麼用？
A: zhè ge diàn guō zěn me yòng
How do I use this rice cooker (Tatung style)?
B：外鍋加水，內鍋放飯，按下開關，跳起來就好。
B: wài guō jiā shuǐ, nèi guō fàng fàn, àn xià kāi guān, tiào qǐ lái jiù hǎo
Water in the outer pot, rice in the inner pot, press the switch; when it pops up, it’s done.
Quick Reference (Copy-Friendly)
| Need | Phrase (Trad + Pinyin) |
| nonstick pan | 不沾平底鍋 bù zhān píng dǐ guō |
| cutting board | 砧板 zhēn bǎn |
| spatula (flipper) | 鍋鏟 guō chǎn |
| tongs | 夾子 jiá zi |
| whisk | 攪拌器 jiǎo bàn qì |
| strainer | 濾網 lǜ wǎng |
| parchment | 烘焙紙 hōng bèi zhǐ |
| plastic wrap | 保鮮膜 bǎo xiān mó |
| rice cooker | 電鍋 diàn guō |
| air fryer | 氣炸鍋 qì zhà guō |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
Open your kitchen drawer and label five items out loud in Chinese, pinyin included.
Make two “tool + action + ingredient” lines: 用鍋鏟炒青菜；用刨絲器刨胡蘿蔔。
Ask one imaginary shop question about size or material.
Record a 20-second voice note describing how you cook noodles using three verbs above.
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Utensils are just superpowers with handles. Learn a handful—鍋鏟、砧板、量杯—and glue them to action verbs like 炒、切、攪拌. Suddenly your Chinese can cook dinner, not just order it.