饭
fàn
rice / meal
饭 literally means cooked rice but is also used to mean "meal" in general. 吃饭 means to eat a meal, not just to eat rice.
Example sentences
你吃饭了吗？
Nǐ chīfàn le ma?
Have you eaten?
这家饭店的饭很好吃。
Zhè jiā fàndiàn de fàn hěn hǎochī.
This restaurant's food is delicious.
How to use 饭 in practice
饭 is a food & drink item that is easiest to learn inside a complete sentence. Read it with the pinyin fàn, then connect it to the meaning “rice / meal” before trying to use it from memory. The examples on this page show the phrase in context: 你吃饭了吗？ / 这家饭店的饭很好吃。.
When you practice 饭, do not stop at recognition. Say one example aloud, swap in a new person, place, object, or time word, and then use the phrase in a short answer. This turns a glossary entry into real Mandarin output and exposes word-order or pronunciation mistakes quickly.
Common learner mistake
A common learner mistake is to memorize 饭 only as “rice / meal” and then translate word by word from English. Instead, learn the whole chunk with the words around it. Notice which nouns, verbs, measure words, or polite markers appear before and after the phrase, and copy that pattern in your own sentence.
Mini practice prompt
Practice prompt: open Restaurant phrases guide, start a short conversation, and use 饭 naturally in your first or second reply. If the sentence feels awkward, compare it with the examples above and try again with a smaller sentence.
Memory tip: review 饭 tomorrow by covering the English meaning, reading only fàn, and producing a sentence before checking the examples. Active recall helps this word survive beyond one reading session.
Practice related pages
FAQ
Does 吃饭 always mean eating rice?
No. 吃饭 means to have a meal in general. You can say 吃饭 even when you are eating noodles or bread.
How can I remember 饭 faster?
Say 饭 inside a full sentence, change one detail, and repeat it in a realistic prompt. The combination of sound, meaning, and context is stronger than memorizing the translation alone.
Can I use 饭 in conversation practice?
Yes. Start with the example sentence, then use 饭 in a short AI conversation so you can see whether the surrounding word order and tone feel natural.
Published by AI Chinese Coach