How do you say "Do you have a menu?" in Chinese?

"Do you have a menu?" in Chinese is 有菜单吗？ — written in pinyin as Yǒu càidān ma?. It is a restaurant phrase you would use in China.

What does 有菜单吗？ mean in Chinese?

有菜单吗？ (Yǒu càidān ma?) means "Do you have a menu?". Broken down word by word: 有 (yǒu) means "to have"; 菜单 (càidān) means "menu"; 吗 (ma) means "yes/no question particle".

When would you use "Do you have a menu?" in Chinese?

Use it the moment you sit down, or at the door when you cannot see a single menu on any table. In many restaurants the menu is not on paper at all — you order by scanning a QR code on the table, so if the answer is a pointed finger at a code, that is normal, not a refusal.

How to say “Do you have a menu?” in Chinese

“Do you have a menu?” in Chinese is 有菜单吗？, written in pinyin as Yǒu càidān ma?.

有菜单吗？

Yǒu càidān ma?

Do you have a menu?

Word by word

What each part of 有菜单吗？ actually means.

有yǒuto have
菜单càidānmenu
吗mayes/no question particle

When you use it

Use it the moment you sit down, or at the door when you cannot see a single menu on any table.
In many restaurants the menu is not on paper at all — you order by scanning a QR code on the table, so if the answer is a pointed finger at a code, that is normal, not a refusal.

Use 有菜单吗？ in restaurant situations. Order food, ask for the bill, handle spice levels.

Other ways people say it

The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.

请给我菜单。
Qǐng gěi wǒ càidān
The menu, please.
The same request as a direct ask — 有…吗 asks whether it exists, 给… asks for it straight out. Either works; this one is shorter.
有英文菜单吗？
Yǒu Yīngwén càidān ma?
Do you have an English menu?
Many restaurants keep a second menu just for visitors, but it is often kept behind the counter — you have to ask for it.
有图片的菜单吗？
Yǒu túpiàn de càidān ma?
Do you have a menu with pictures?
A picture menu solves ordering even with zero Chinese — pointing works, and the photos also show you the real portion size.

What usually trips people up

菜单 (càidān) is the physical menu; 点菜 (diǎncài) is the act of ordering. 有菜单吗 asks for the booklet — when you are ready to order, the word is 点菜 or 我要点菜.
In QR-code restaurants there may be no paper menu anywhere, so 有菜单吗 can earn a puzzled look. The question that always works is 扫码点菜吗？ (do I order by scanning the code?)
Small eateries often paint the menu on the wall behind the counter. Staff will answer 有 with a nod and a pointed finger — look up before you conclude they have no menu.

What you might hear back

有，马上来。Yǒu, mǎshàng láiYes — coming right up.
扫桌上的码就行。Sǎo zhuō shàng de mǎ jiù xíngJust scan the code on the table.
只有中文的。Zhǐyǒu Zhōngwén deThere is only the Chinese one.

Common questions

How do you say "Do you have a menu?" in Chinese?: "Do you have a menu?" in Chinese is 有菜单吗？ — written in pinyin as Yǒu càidān ma?. It is a restaurant phrase you would use in China.
What does 有菜单吗？ mean in Chinese?: 有菜单吗？ (Yǒu càidān ma?) means "Do you have a menu?". Broken down word by word: 有 (yǒu) means "to have"; 菜单 (càidān) means "menu"; 吗 (ma) means "yes/no question particle".
When would you use "Do you have a menu?" in Chinese?: Use it the moment you sit down, or at the door when you cannot see a single menu on any table. In many restaurants the menu is not on paper at all — you order by scanning a QR code on the table, so if the answer is a pointed finger at a code, that is normal, not a refusal.

Where you'll use it

有菜单吗？ comes up in these situations, in this order.

🍜 Ordering food9 steps

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