Meaning of 服务员
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- waiter
- waitress
- attendant
- customer service personnel
Measure word: 個|个,位
How to use 服务员
服务员 covers waiters, waitresses, shop attendants, hotel staff and similar service workers, with no gender distinction. In restaurants people often call out 服务员 directly to get attention, for example 服务员，买单。(Fúwùyuán, mǎidān.) Waiter, the bill please.
Break it into 服务 (fúwù), to serve, plus 员 (yuán), a person with a role. A 服务员 is literally a service person, the same 员 you see in 演员 (yǎnyuán) actor and 人员 (rényuán) staff.
Common mistake: Learners often read 务 (wù) with the wrong tone or confuse it with 物 (wù), thing, since they sound the same. Also, 服 here means to serve, not clothes, so do not link it to 衣服 (yīfu) when guessing the meaning.
服务员 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
服 fú · clothes · 8 strokes
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务 wù · affairs · 5 strokes
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员 yuán · person engaged in a certain field of ac… · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 服务员.
| 衣服 | yīfu | clothes |
| 舒服 | shūfu | comfortable; feeling well |
| 服务 | fúwù | to serve; service |
| 任务 | rènwu | mission; assignment; task; duty; role |
| 人员 | rényuán | staff; crew |
| 演员 | yǎnyuán | actor; actress; performer |
| 成员 | chéngyuán | member |
| 员工 | yuángōng | staff; personnel; employee |
| 队员 | duìyuán | team member |
| 服装 | fúzhuāng | dress; clothing |
| 克服 | kèfú | (try to) overcome (hardships etc); to conquer |
| 会员 | huìyuán | member |
Questions about 服务员
What does 服务员 mean?
服务员 (fúwùyuán) means "waiter; waitress" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 服务员?
服务员 is made of 3 characters: 服 (8 strokes), 务 (5 strokes), 员 (7 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 服务员 an HSK word?
Yes. 服务员 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 服务员 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 服务员 is written 服務員.
Is it polite to shout 服务员 in a restaurant?
Yes, in mainland China calling 服务员 out loud is normal and not rude. A softer option is 你好 (nǐ hǎo) to get someone's attention, which many younger people now prefer.
Can 服务员 mean a customer service agent on the phone?
It can, but for phone or online support people usually say 客服 (kèfú). 服务员 is more typical for staff you meet in person, like in restaurants, hotels or on trains.