Ask 'What Is in This?' and 'Does This Have ___?' in Mandarin Chinese
Learn beginner Mandarin questions for asking what is inside a dish or whether it contains a common ingredient, with pinyin, tone marks, and simple food vocabulary.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
This lesson teaches two useful Mandarin question patterns: 里面有什么? (lǐmiàn yǒu shénme?) for asking what is inside something, and 有……吗? (yǒu ... ma?) for asking whether something contains a particular ingredient. You will also learn common food words such as 肉 (ròu, meat), 鸡蛋 (jīdàn, egg), 花生 (huāshēng, peanut), 牛奶 (niúnǎi, milk), and 香菜 (xiāngcài, cilantro). The focus is curiosity and understanding what you are eating, not avoiding ingredients for dietary reasons.
By the end, you can…
- ask what is inside a dish using 里面有什么?
- ask whether a dish contains a common ingredient using 有……吗?
- recognize and say several common ingredient words in Mandarin
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
里面有什么？
What is inside? / What is in this?
lǐmiàn yǒu shénme?
Use this to ask about the contents of a dish, a package, or a container when you are curious.
有肉吗？
Does this have meat?
yǒu ròu ma?
A simple yes-or-no question. Add 吗 (ma) at the end of a statement to turn it into a question.
有鸡蛋吗？
Does this have egg?
yǒu jīdàn ma?
Use this for asking about egg in fried rice, noodles, cakes, or other foods.
有花生吗？
Does this have peanuts?
yǒu huāshēng ma?
Useful for dishes, sauces, and snacks where peanuts may be included.
有牛奶吗？
Does this have milk?
yǒu niúnǎi ma?
Use this for drinks, desserts, and baked goods.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 有 (yǒu, have/there is) plus a noun, with 吗 (ma) at the end for a yes-or-no question: 有肉吗? (yǒu ròu ma?, Does it have meat?). To ask what is inside, use 里面有什么? (lǐmiàn yǒu shénme?, What is inside?). You can replace 肉 with another ingredient: 有鸡蛋吗? (yǒu jīdàn ma?, Does it have egg?), 有花生吗? (yǒu huāshēng ma?, Does it have peanuts?).
When to use it
Use 里面有什么? when you want an open answer about a dish or package. Use 有……吗? when you already have one ingredient in mind and want a yes-or-no answer. For example, ask 有香菜吗? (yǒu xiāngcài ma?, Does it have cilantro?) if you are curious about a specific herb. These questions are neutral and polite; they do not imply that you dislike the ingredient.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
这个里面有什么？
What is inside this?zhège lǐmiàn yǒu shénme?里面有鸡蛋和肉。
It has egg and meat inside.lǐmiàn yǒu jīdàn hé ròu.有花生吗？
Does it have peanuts?yǒu huāshēng ma?没有花生。
It does not have peanuts.méiyǒu huāshēng.A little context goes a long way
In Mandarin, 吗 (ma) is the standard neutral question particle. A short 有……吗? question is usually polite and direct enough for everyday conversation. If you want to sound softer when asking a server or host, you can begin with 请问 (qǐngwèn, may I ask).
One thing to watch for
Adding 吗 to a question that already uses 什么 (shénme), as in 里面有什么吗?
Try this instead: Use 吗 only for yes-or-no questions. For an open question with 什么, say 里面有什么? (lǐmiàn yǒu shénme?). For a yes-or-no question, say 有花生吗? (yǒu huāshēng ma?).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'Does this have egg?'
Show a sample answer
有鸡蛋吗？
This uses 有 (yǒu) plus 鸡蛋 (jīdàn) plus 吗 (ma). You could also ask 里面有鸡蛋吗? if you want to say 'inside.'
2What does 里面有什么？ mean?
Show a sample answer
What is inside?
里面 (lǐmiàn) means 'inside,' 有 (yǒu) means 'have/there is,' and 什么 (shénme) means 'what.'
3Replace 肉 with 牛奶 in 有肉吗？
Show a sample answer
有牛奶吗？
The pattern 有 + ingredient + 吗 stays the same. 牛奶 (niúnǎi) means milk.
Use 里面有什么? for an open question about contents, and 有……吗? for a yes-or-no question about one ingredient.
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