顿 dùn — a time; jerk; stop; meal; bout; spell
我们一家人一起吃了一顿饭。Wǒ men yì jiā rén yì qǐ chī le yí dùn fàn.Our family ate a meal together.
Common words: 整顿 (zhěng dùn)、停顿 (tíng dùn)、顿时 (dùn shí)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "meal"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "meal", including 顿 (dùn), 饭 (fàn), 餐 (cān). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "meal" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 顿 (dùn), 饭 (fàn), 餐 (cān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dùn, fàn, cān — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 顿 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 顿 dùna time; jerk; stop; meal; bout; spellUseful words: 整顿, 停顿
- 饭 fànfood; cuisine; cooked rice; mealUseful words: 吃饭, 晚饭
- 餐 cāneat; mealUseful words: 早餐, 晚餐
Common words for these 3 "meal" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 顿 (dùn) — so "meal" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
整顿zhěng dùnto tidy up; to reorganize; to consolidate; to rectify停顿tíng dùnto halt; to break off; pause (in speech)顿时dùn shíimmediately; suddenly吃饭chī fànto have a meal; to eat; to make a living晚饭wǎn fànevening meal; dinner; supper饭店fàn diànrestaurant; hotel早餐zǎo cānbreakfast晚餐wǎn cānevening meal; dinner午餐wǔ cānlunch; luncheon
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "meal".
饭 fàn — food; cuisine; cooked rice; meal
我们一家人围坐在一起吃饭。Wǒ men yì jiā rén wéi zuò zài yì qǐ chī fàn.Our family sits together around the table to eat.
Common words: 吃饭 (chī fàn)、晚饭 (wǎn fàn)、饭店 (fàn diàn)
餐 cān — eat; meal
我们一家人正在享用丰盛的晚餐。Wǒ men yì jiā rén zhèng zài xiǎng yòng fēng shèng de wǎn cān.Our family is enjoying a hearty dinner.
Common words: 早餐 (zǎo cān)、晚餐 (wǎn cān)、午餐 (wǔ cān)
All 3 characters
Open 顿、饭、餐 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.