(fú wù yuán) - waiter in Mandarin
fúwùyuánTraditional: 服務員
Translation
waiter
Stroke order
服
务
员
Examples
。
The waiter brought us the menu.
账。
I called the waiter over to pay the bill.
。
The waiters at this restaurant are very friendly.
。
She works as a waiter in a restaurant.
。
The waiter took our order.
服务员 (fúwùyuán) is a "waiter" or "waitress", and more broadly any front of house service staff. 服务 (fúwù) means "service, to serve" and 员 (yuán) marks a member of staff, the same suffix seen in 售货员 (shòuhuòyuán), "shop assistant".
Chinese does not usually mark gender on the word: 服务员 (fúwùyuán) covers both men and women, unlike the English "waiter" / "waitress" split, so there is no separate feminine form to learn.
To call a waiter over in a restaurant, 服务员 (fúwùyuán) itself is called out across the room as a form of address, roughly like "excuse me" directed at staff, which is a habit that surprises English speakers used to catching someone's eye instead.
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服务员: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "服务员" (waiter): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 109.