Chinese Tastes & Flavors — 酸 / 甜 / 苦 / 辣 / 咸 / 好吃 / 难吃

The general word for taste or flavor is 味道 wèidào, and 口味 kǒuwèi means a personal taste or preference. Use 味道 to ask how something tastes: 味道怎么样? (how does it taste?).

To try or taste something, use 尝 cháng: 你尝一尝 (have a taste). The verb 试 shì (to try) is also common: 试试这个菜 (try this dish).

酸 suān means "sour". Use it for lemons, vinegar, and fermented foods: 柠檬很酸 (the lemon is sour), 醋 cù is vinegar. 酸甜 suān tián means "sweet and sour", as in the dish 糖醋里脊 tángcù lǐji (sweet and sour pork).

甜 tián means "sweet": 这个蛋糕很甜 (this cake is sweet). 甜点 tiándiǎn means dessert, and 甜食 tiánshí means sweets or sweet food. 太甜了 tài tián le means "too sweet".

苦 kǔ means "bitter": 咖啡很苦 (the coffee is bitter), 苦瓜 kǔguā is bitter melon. 苦 also means "hardship" in life: 辛苦 xīnkǔ (tiring, hard work).

辣 là means "spicy" (the burning taste, not temperature): 这个菜很辣 (this dish is spicy), 辣椒 làjiāo is chili pepper, and 麻辣 málà is the numbing-spicy Sichuan flavor. 微辣 wēilà means "mildly spicy", 中辣 zhōnglà "medium spicy", 特辣 tèlà "extra spicy".

咸 xián means "salty": 这个汤太咸了 (this soup is too salty). 咸的 xián de means "savory", often contrasted with 甜的 tián de (sweet). 淡 dàn means "bland" or "lightly seasoned".

好吃 hǎochī means "delicious" (literally "good to eat"): 这个饺子真好吃 (these dumplings are really delicious). 难吃 nánchī means "tastes bad" (literally "hard to eat").

For drinks, swap 吃 (eat) for 喝 (drink): 好喝 hǎohē means "tasty (to drink)" and 难喝 nánhē means "bad (to drink)". 香 xiāng means "fragrant" or "smells good", used for food aroma: 好香啊! (it smells so good!).

美味 měiwèi is the formal word for "delicious" and appears on menus and in restaurant names more than in daily speech.

Attach taste words directly to an intensifier, without 是. 很 hěn is the default: 很甜 (very sweet), 很辣 (very spicy). Note 很 is often a neutral linker, not always a strong "very".

有一点儿 yǒu yìdiǎnr means "a little": 有一点儿咸 (a little salty). 太...了 tài...le means "too...": 太辣了 (too spicy), 太苦了 (too bitter).

特别 tèbié means "especially": 特别好吃 (especially delicious). 真 zhēn means "really": 真好吃 (really delicious).

Ask how food tastes with 味道怎么样? (how does it taste?) or 好吃吗? (is it delicious?). The two-part 好不好吃? (is it good to eat?) is a softer way to ask.

Ask about spice tolerance with 你能吃辣吗? (can you eat spicy food?). Common answers: 我很能吃辣 (I can handle a lot of spice), 我不能吃辣 (I cannot eat spicy food), 我怕辣 (I cannot handle spicy food).

Ask a preference with 你喜欢吃甜的还是咸的? (do you prefer sweet or savory?). To state one, say 我喜欢吃辣 (I like spicy food) or 我不吃辣 (I do not eat spicy food).

Do not confuse 辣 (spicy-hot taste) with 热 (hot temperature). 这个菜很辣 means it is spicy; 这个菜很热 means it is hot in temperature.

Do not use 好吃 for drinks — 好吃 means "good to eat". For drinks use 好喝: 这个咖啡很好喝 (this coffee is good).

Do not say 我是甜 to mean "it is sweet". Say 这个很甜 (this is sweet) or 这个是甜的 (this one is sweet).

Remember 太...了 needs the trailing 了: 太咸了 (too salty), not just 太咸.