Despite the end of summer, the sweltering heat in Shanghai shows no sign of abating. Sometimes, nothing else hits the spot and helps you cool down like a cold and refreshing drink.

Today let's learn a few names of popular drinks in Chinese so you can easily order them at a restaurant or ask for them in a convenience store.

Chinese names for popular soft drinks

1. Soft drinks

Fizzy soft drinks (软饮料, ruǎn yǐn liào) are a popular menu item in many Chinese restaurants. Some international brands have become household names:

可乐

kě lè

Coca Cola

芬达

fēn dá

Fanta

雪碧

xuě bì

Sprite

苏打水

sū dá shuǐ

Soda

七喜

qī xǐ

7-Up

红牛

hóng niú

Red Bull

Note

When ordering drinks at a restaurant in China, you can ask to add or serve without ice by saying:

请加冰。

qǐng jiā bīng.

Please, add ice.

不要冰。

bù yào bīng.

No ice, please.

2. Chinese soft drinks

There are also a few famous local brands that you can try:

王老吉

wáng lǎo jí

Wanglaoji sweet herbal tea

酸梅汤

suān méi tāng

sour plum drink

北冰洋

běi bīng yáng

Arctic Ocean orange soda

脉动

mài dòng

Mizone sports drink

3. Healthier options

If you prefer no sugar in your drink, let's look at some of the "healthier" soft drink options:

01. Water

Let's start by looking at different types of water (水, shuǐ):

柠檬水

níng méng shuǐ

lemon water

矿泉水

kuàng quán shuǐ

mineral water

汽水

qì shuǐ

sparkling water

02. Juice

Many big chains and small stalls also offer fresh juices (果汁, guǒ zhī):

鲜榨果汁

xiān zhà guǒ zhī

freshly squeezed juice

Note

To make sure the juice is freshly made and doesn't come from a box, you can always ask:

(你们的)果汁是鲜榨的吗？

(nǐ men de) guǒ zhī shì xiān zhà de ma?

Is (your) juice freshly squeezed?

To ask for any type of juice you can create a word by saying "fruit name" + "juice (汁, zhī)". Here are a few examples:

橙汁

chéng zhī

orange juice

西瓜汁

xī guā zhī

watermelon juice

苹果汁

píng guǒ zhī

apple juice

葡萄汁

pú tao zhī

grape juice

03. More options

Here are some extra refreshing options for you to choose from:

奶昔

nǎi xī

milkshake

冰沙

bīng shā

smoothie

冰茶

bīng chá

ice tea

红茶菌

hóng chá jūn

kombucha, fermented tea

 

Source: That's Mandarin