奶酪
nǎilào
Cheese
奶酪 (nǎilào) is the most common and standard word for "cheese" in Mandarin Chinese. With the increasing popularity of Western cuisine, cheese is becoming more common in China, and 奶酪 is widely understood.
When to use it
Neutral. While 奶酪 is the general term, 芝士 (zhīshì) is a very popular transliteration, especially in casual settings or when referring to cheese in Western dishes like pizza or burgers. 干酪 (gānlào) is a more traditional or formal term, sometimes used for harder cheeses.
How to pronounce it
Sounds like "nye-LAO." 奶 (nǎi) is a third tone, pronounced with a dip, and 酪 (lào) is a falling fourth tone.
Other ways to say it
- 芝士zhīshìcheese (transliteration, common for Western dishes)
- 干酪gānlàocheese (more traditional/formal, often for hard cheese)
Examples
我早餐喜欢吃奶酪。
wǒ zǎocān xǐhuan chī nǎilào.
I like to eat cheese for breakfast.
这个三明治里有芝士吗？
zhège sānmíngzhì lǐ yǒu zhīshì ma?
Is there cheese in this sandwich?
法国有很多种美味的奶酪。
Fǎguó yǒu hěnduō zhǒng měiwèi de nǎilào.
France has many kinds of delicious cheese.
Pro tip: While 奶酪 is the standard term, 芝士 is very frequently used, especially by younger generations and in contexts related to Western food like "芝士蛋糕" (cheesecake) or "芝士披萨" (cheese pizza).
Related phrases
中国菜 · China food书 · Book化妆品 · Cosmetic
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