How to say “beer” in Chinese

jiǔ
beer

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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Word by word

(sound of 'beer')
jiǔ
alcohol

Tone tip

Rise on 啤, dip on 酒. 酒 covers all alcohol: 白酒 (báijiǔ) is the strong grain spirit, 红酒 (hóngjiǔ) is red wine. Order by bottle (瓶 píng) or glass (杯 bēi).

In a sentence

Lái liǎng píng píjiǔ!

Two bottles of beer, please!

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say "beer" in Chinese?+

"beer" in Mandarin Chinese is 啤酒, pronounced píjiǔ. Rise on 啤, dip on 酒. 酒 covers all alcohol: 白酒 (báijiǔ) is the strong grain spirit, 红酒 (hóngjiǔ) is red wine. Order by bottle (瓶 píng) or glass (杯 bēi).

What does 啤酒 mean literally?+

啤酒 breaks down as 啤 (pí) = (sound of 'beer'), 酒 (jiǔ) = alcohol. Together it means "beer".

How do I get the tones right in píjiǔ?+

Rise on 啤, dip on 酒. 酒 covers all alcohol: 白酒 (báijiǔ) is the strong grain spirit, 红酒 (hóngjiǔ) is red wine. Order by bottle (瓶 píng) or glass (杯 bēi).

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See all the phrases on the how to say things in Chinese index, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.