Meaning of 西餐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- Western-style food
Measure word: 份,頓|顿
How to use 西餐
西餐 refers to Western food in general, such as steak, pasta, salad, or bread, and is often contrasted with 中餐 (zhōngcān), Chinese food. It is common in phrases like 吃西餐 (chī xīcān) and 西餐厅 (xīcāntīng), a Western restaurant. Example: 我们今天晚上去吃西餐吧。(Wǒmen jīntiān wǎnshang qù chī xīcān ba.) Let's go eat Western food tonight.
西 (xī) means west and 餐 (cān) means a meal, so 西餐 is simply a "west meal." Picture a plate of steak and pasta served in a restaurant facing the setting sun in the west.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up 餐 (cān) with 菜 (cài), but 西菜 is much less common than 西餐 for Western cuisine. Also keep both syllables in first tone: xī is high and level, and cān is high and level too, not cǎn or càn.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
西 xī · west · 6 strokes
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- 2
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餐 cān · meal · 16 strokes
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- 2
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- 16
Related words
Words that share a character with 西餐.
| 东西 | dōngxi | east and west |
| 西边 | xībian | west; west side |
| 晚餐 | wǎncān | evening meal; dinner |
| 早餐 | zǎocān | breakfast |
| 午餐 | wǔcān | lunch; luncheon |
| 西方 | xīfāng | the West; the Occident |
| 西北 | xīběi | northwest |
| 西南 | xīnán | southwest |
| 快餐 | kuàicān | fast food; snack |
| 中餐 | zhōngcān | lunch; Chinese meal; Chinese food |
| 西医 | xīyī | Western medicine; a doctor trained in Western medicine |
| 西部 | xībù | western part |
Questions about 西餐
What does 西餐 mean?
西餐 (xīcān) means "Western-style food" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 西餐?
西餐 is made of 2 characters: 西 (6 strokes), 餐 (16 strokes). That is 22 strokes in total.
Is 西餐 an HSK word?
Yes. 西餐 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say Chinese food as the opposite of 西餐?
Chinese food is 中餐 (zhōngcān), built the same way with 中 from 中国 (Zhōngguó). People often ask 你喜欢中餐还是西餐? (Nǐ xǐhuan zhōngcān háishi xīcān?) Do you like Chinese food or Western food?
Does 餐 in 西餐 mean the same thing as in 早餐 and 晚餐?
Yes. 餐 means a meal in all of them. In 早餐 (zǎocān) and 晚餐 (wǎncān) the first character tells you the time of the meal, while in 西餐 it tells you the style of food.