Shanghai boasts the highest number of coffee shops of any city globally. Check out this guide to explore its thriving coffee culture.

When it comes to drinking coffee in Shanghai, the options are endless. Simply saying "我要一杯咖啡" (wǒ yào yī bēi kā fēi, I would like a cup of coffee) is no longer sufficient. What about the size? The flavor? What kind of coffee beans? None of these details are covered by "我要一杯咖啡". Here are some additional phrases in Mandarin Chinese to help you order coffee more effectively.

Core Chinese sentence structure

Greeting + "I would like a" + size + iced + flavor + type of coffee+ customizations + for here/to go + "thank you".

This is the general structure of how you would order coffee in Chinese. It may seem complicated, but keep in mind that you don't need to use all the elements, and it's likely that you have a go-to coffee preference that you can simply memorize for convenience.

1. Greeting in Chinese

First, start with a simple "你好" (nǐ hǎo, hello). Do not greet a barista with "你好吗". If you say "你好吗" with a big smile, you could be mistaken for flirting…poorly!

2. Coffee size

Drink size might sound like one of the simplest aspects of ordering a coffee — but thanks to Starbucks, it isn't.

(1) Normal coffee sizing:

Small size: xiǎo bēi 小杯

Medium size: zhōng bēi 中杯

Large size: dà bēi 大杯

(2) Starbucks coffee sizing:

Short: xiǎo bēi 小杯

Tall: zhōng bēi 中杯

Grande: dà bēi 大杯/biāo zhǔn bēi 标准杯

Venti: chāo dà bēi 超大杯

The short coffee size (小杯, xiǎo bēi) isn't usually displayed on the counter at Starbucks. So if you point to the smallest cup on the counter and say "我要一杯小杯咖啡"（wǒ yào yī bēi xiǎo bēi kā fēi, I want a small cup of coffee) , the barista will answer "对不起，这是中杯" (duì bù qǐ, zhè shì zhōng bēi. Sorry, this is a tall).

3. Describe your coffee in Chinese

Instead of just "咖啡" (kā fēi, coffee), use one of the more descriptive words below. If you would like your drink iced or flavored, simply add "冰" (bīng, iced) and your flavor before your coffee type. For example, iced mocha is "冰摩卡" (bīng mó kǎ).

4. Coffee types

Espresso: yì shì nóng suō 意式浓缩

Double Espresso: shuāng fèn yì shì nóng suō 双份意式浓缩

Americano: měi shì kā fēi 美式咖啡

Black coffee: hēi kā fēi 黑咖啡

Cappucino: kǎ bù qí nuò 卡布奇诺

Latte: ná tiě 拿铁

Mocha: mó kǎ 摩卡

Macchiato: mǎ qí duǒ 玛奇朵

5. Coffee flavors

Caramel: jiāo táng 焦糖

Vanilla: xiāng cǎo 香草

Hazelnut: zhēn zi 榛子

Chocolate: qiǎo kè lì 巧克力

Mango: máng guǒ 芒果

Cherry: yīng táo 樱桃

Peppermint: bò hé 薄荷

Cinnamon: ròu guì 肉桂

6. Coffee customizations

These are some of the possible customizations you can have with your coffee. Of course, there are many more off-the-wall customizations that aren't included here.

Whipped cream: xiān nǎi yóu 鲜奶油

Milk: niú nǎi 牛奶

Skinny: dī zhī niú nǎi 低脂牛奶

Dry: duō nǎi pào, shǎo nǎi 多奶泡，少奶

Wet: shǎo nǎi pào, duō nǎi 少奶泡，多奶

Decaf: dī kā fēi yīn 低咖啡因

7. Coffee to go?

Finally, you can end up with "To go" (dǎ bāo, 打包) or "Here" (zài zhè lǐ yòng, 在这里用).

Example of a full Chinese sentence

你好，我要一杯中杯拿铁，要双份浓缩，低脂牛奶打包带走，谢谢。

nǐ hǎo, wǒ yào yī bēi zhōng bēi ná tiě, yào shuāng fèn nóng suō, dī zhī niú nǎi. dǎ bāo dài zǒu, xiè xiè.

Hi, I would like a medium skinny latte with a double shot. To go. Thank you.

Source: goeastmandarin.com

For any concerns regarding copyright infringement, please reach out to us at intlservices@shanghai.gov.cn.