How to say “I'm full” in Chinese
“I'm full” in Chinese is 我吃饱了。, written in pinyin as Wǒ chī bǎo le.
我吃饱了。
Wǒ chī bǎo le.
I'm full.
Word by word
What each part of 我吃饱了。 actually means.
- 吃chīto eat
- 饱bǎofull (stomach)
- 了le(completed action)
When you use it
- Say it when a waiter suggests another dish, tops up your rice, or asks 还吃吗 (still eating?) — it politely closes the meal so they stop offering.
- It also works when a host keeps piling food on your plate at a family-style dinner: this is the gentle, culturally standard way to refuse more without offending anyone.
Use 我吃饱了。 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.
我饱了。
Wǒ bǎo le
I'm full.
吃不下了。
Chī bu xià le
I can't eat any more.
太撑了。
Tài chēng le
I'm stuffed.
What usually trips people up
- Confusing 饱 with 饿 — 饱 means full, 饿 means hungry; they sound nothing alike but both end sentences about eating, so double-check before you say one.
- Saying it too early — hosts hear 我吃饱了 as I'm done, and staff may start clearing the table; use it only when you really are finished.
- Forgetting that refusal needs a reason to sound soft — adding 真的 (really) as in 我真的吃饱了 makes it warm instead of curt.
What you might hear back
- 好的，那给您上果盘。Hǎo de, nà gěi nín shàng guǒpánOkay, then we'll bring the fruit plate.
- 真不吃啦？再来一点点。Zhēn bù chī la? Zài lái yìdiǎndiǎnReally no more? Just a tiny bit more.
- 好的，需要打包剩下的吗？Hǎo de, xūyào dǎbāo shèngxià de ma?Okay, do you want to take the leftovers to go?
Common questions
- How do you say "I'm full" in Chinese?
- "I'm full" in Chinese is 我吃饱了。 — written in pinyin as Wǒ chī bǎo le. It is a restaurant phrase you would use in China.
- What does 我吃饱了。 mean in Chinese?
- 我吃饱了。 (Wǒ chī bǎo le) means "I'm full". Broken down word by word: 吃 (chī) means "to eat"; 饱 (bǎo) means "full (stomach)"; 了 (le) means "(completed action)".
- When would you use "I'm full" in Chinese?
- Say it when a waiter suggests another dish, tops up your rice, or asks 还吃吗 (still eating?) — it politely closes the meal so they stop offering. It also works when a host keeps piling food on your plate at a family-style dinner: this is the gentle, culturally standard way to refuse more without offending anyone.
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