奶酪
nǎi lào
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zhī shìcheese (transliteration, common for Western dishes)
- 干酪gān làocheese (more traditional/formal, often for hard cheese)
Examples
我早餐喜欢吃奶酪。
wǒ zǎo cān xǐ huan chī nǎi lào 。
I like to eat cheese for breakfast.
这个三明治里有芝士吗？
zhè ge sān míng zhì lǐ yǒu zhī shì ma ？
Is there cheese in this sandwich?
法国有很多种美味的奶酪。
fǎ guó yǒu hěn duō zhǒng měi wèi de nǎi lào 。
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
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