How to say “I'm vegetarian” in Chinese
“I'm vegetarian” in Chinese is 我吃素。, written in pinyin as Wǒ chī sù.
我吃素。
Wǒ chī sù.
I'm vegetarian.
Word by word
What each part of 我吃素。 actually means.
- 我wǒI / me
- 吃chīto eat
- 素sùvegetarian
When you use it
- Use it while ordering, before any dish is chosen, so the waiter can point you at the 素菜 (vegetarian) part of the menu instead of watching you reject dishes one by one.
- One short syllable of 素 is easy to miss in a noisy room, so add 不要肉 (no meat) if the first answer looks uncertain — the two together are what staff actually act on.
Use 我吃素。 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.
我是素食者。
Wǒ shì sùshí zhě
I am a vegetarian.
The full, explicit version. 素食 (vegetarian food) is also the word printed on menus and product labels, so you will see it even if you never say it.
我要素菜。
Wǒ yào sùcài
I'll have the vegetarian dishes.
素菜 is the menu category — it skips the statement about yourself and goes straight to what you want on the table.
麻烦不要放肉。
Máfan bú yào fàng ròu
Please don't add any meat.
放 is the cooking verb to add. Say this when a dish you otherwise want sounds like it might have meat stirred in.
What usually trips people up
- On Chinese menus, 肉 by itself usually means pork. Chicken is 鸡肉 and fish is just 鱼, and staff may not count either as 肉 — if you avoid them too, name them: 不吃鸡肉和鱼.
- 素菜 usually means no meat in the dish, but it may still be cooked with 蚝油 (háoyóu, oyster sauce) or meat stock. If that matters to you, ask 有蚝油吗？ (does it have oyster sauce?)
- Say it at ordering time, not when the dish lands. Kitchens rarely rebuild a plate mid-meal, and the vegetarian dishes often need to be ordered as their own dish in the first place.
What you might hear back
- 好的，素菜在这儿。Hǎo de, sùcài zài zhèrSure — the vegetarian dishes are here.
- 豆腐可以吗？Dòufu kěyǐ ma?Is tofu all right?
- 这道是素的。Zhè dào shì sù deThis dish is vegetarian.
Common questions
- How do you say "I'm vegetarian" in Chinese?
- "I'm vegetarian" in Chinese is 我吃素。 — written in pinyin as Wǒ chī sù. It is a restaurant phrase you would use in China.
- What does 我吃素。 mean in Chinese?
- 我吃素。 (Wǒ chī sù) means "I'm vegetarian". Broken down word by word: 我 (wǒ) means "I / me"; 吃 (chī) means "to eat"; 素 (sù) means "vegetarian".
- When would you use "I'm vegetarian" in Chinese?
- Use it while ordering, before any dish is chosen, so the waiter can point you at the 素菜 (vegetarian) part of the menu instead of watching you reject dishes one by one. One short syllable of 素 is easy to miss in a noisy room, so add 不要肉 (no meat) if the first answer looks uncertain — the two together are what staff actually act on.
Where you'll use it
我吃素。 comes up in these situations, in this order.
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