How to Talk About Halloween Foods in Chinese

Halloween is celebrated in many countries, including the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia. But did you know that it’s also becoming popular in China? Take a break from carving pumpkins and learn some Halloween-related Chinese words!  

Let’s get started! 

Chinese Words for Halloween Foods 🎃

1. Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is a must-have for Halloween! In Chinese, it’s called 南瓜派 (nánguā pài), with 南瓜 (nánguā) meaning “pumpkin” and 派 (pài) meaning “pie”. 

南瓜派 in a Chinese sentence: 

Fun fact: In Chinese, all pie names end in 派, so by learning this one word, you can unlock the world of pie-shaped goodness, like 苹果派 (píngguǒguǒ pài, apple pie), 草莓派 (cǎoméi pài, strawberry pie), 红豆派 (hóngdòu pài, red bean pie), and so on!

2. Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread is a Halloween favorite. In Chinese, it’s 南瓜面包 (nánguā miànbāo), where 南瓜 (nánguā) stands for “pumpkin” and 面包 (miànbāo) means “bread” (both very high-frequency Chinese words)! 

南瓜面包 in a Chinese sentence: 

Sōngruǎn de nánguā miànbāo.
    松软      的    南瓜        面包。
Soft pumpkin bread.

3. Apple Bread

Apple bread is a popular homemade Halloween staple. Since you already learned that “bread” in Chinese is 面包 (miànbāo), 苹果面包 (píngguǒ miànbāo)—with 苹果 (píngguǒ) meaning “apple”—must be super easy for you! Learning Chinese has never been yummier 🙂

苹果面包 in a Chinese sentence:
Xiāng tián de píngguǒ miànbāo.
  香     甜   的     苹果        面包。
Sweet and fragrant apple bread.

4. Caramel Apples

No Halloween is complete without caramel apples. In Chinese, they’re called 焦糖苹果 (jiāotáng píngguǒ), where 焦糖 (jiāotáng) stands for “caramel”. 

焦糖苹果 in a Chinese sentence:
Měiwèi de jiāotáng píngguǒ.
  美味   的    焦糖       苹果。
Delicious caramel apple.

5. Cupcakes

In Chinese, cupcakes are called 纸杯蛋糕 (zhǐbēi dàngāo), which means “cake in a paper cup”. Cupcakes are loved all over the world, including in China! 

Interestingly, the Chinese word 纸杯 (zhǐbēi) can also describe a disposable cup for fuzzy drinks, so jot that down for your next Chinese language exchange ^^

纸杯蛋糕 in a Chinese sentence:
Wàn shèng jié zhǐbēi dàngāo.
万       圣      节   纸杯    蛋糕。
Halloween cupcakes.

Chinese Words for Halloween Candy 🍬

Halloween just wouldn’t feel right without candy! Here’s how to talk about your favorite Halloween candy in Chinese.

1. Chocolate

Chocolate is a universal treat, and the Chinese word won’t be hard to learn, since it’s just a phonetic translation: 巧克力 (qiǎokèlì).

巧克力 in a Chinese sentence:
Wǒ zuì xǐhuān de qiǎokèlì shì Kit Kat.
我  最    喜欢   的   巧克力  是  Kit Kat。
My favorite chocolate is Kit Kat.

2. Chocolate Bar

The Chinese word for candy bars like Snickers or Mars is 巧克力棒 (qiǎokèlì bàng), where 棒 (bàng) means “stick”.

巧克力棒 in a Chinese sentence:
Qiǎokèlì bàng hěn hǎo chī.
巧克力     棒      很   好   吃。
Chocolate bars are delicious.

3. Hard Candy

If you love hard candy, the word you need to learn in Chinese is 硬糖 (yìngtáng), where 硬 means “hard”, and 糖 means “sugar”, “candy”, “something sweet”.

硬糖 in a Chinese sentence:
Gěi nǐ yī kē yìngtáng.
给  你 一 颗   硬糖。
Here’s a piece of hard candy.

4. Soft Candy

For gummy bears or chewy candies, the word is 软糖 (ruǎntáng), where 软 means “soft”.

软糖 in a Chinese sentence:
Wǒ yǒu yī kē ruǎntáng.
我    有  一 颗   软糖。
I have a piece of soft candy.

5. Lollipops

Lollipops are a popular treat, and in Chinese, they’re called 棒棒糖 (bàngbàngtáng), which literally means “stick stick candy”.

棒棒糖 in a Chinese sentence:
Wǒ ná zhe yī gēn bàngbàngtáng.
我    拿 着  一 根        棒棒糖。
I’m holding a lollipop.

Note: for most types of candy, we use the measure word 颗 (kē, meaning something small and round). But for lollipops, we use the measure word 根 (gēn, meaning something long and slender), because — you guessed it! — lollipops come on a stick!

Check out the Space of Counters section within Arcade on ChineseSkill to practice Chinese measure words!

Enjoy Halloween while you learn Chinese! 

Now that you’ve got a list of Chinese words and phrases for the most popular Halloween foods, go and impress your friends with your knowledge while enjoying delicious Halloween candy!

And speaking of learning Chinese… 

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