🍳❓

How to Say ‘Have you had breakfast?’ in Simplified Chinese

吃早饭了吗？

chī zǎo fàn le ma

[chī zǎofàn luh mah]

💬 Usage Tip: Adding 了吗 to the end of an action asks whether it's already done: 吃了吗？ "Have you eaten?"

🇨🇳 In China: This is a greeting, not an invitation. Older neighbors use it the way English speakers say "How's it going?", and a simple "yes" is all they expect.

Phrase Breakdown

吃早饭

chī zǎo fàn

eat breakfast

吃 (eat) + 早饭 (breakfast). Say it chī zǎo fàn.

Example

我七点吃早饭。

I eat breakfast at seven.

Words in this phrase

吃

chī

[chī]

to eat

General term for consuming food.

Example

他月底的时候只能靠吃土过日子。

He can only barely make ends meet at the end of the month.

早饭

zǎo fàn

[zǎofàn]

breakfast

The morning meal; asking about it is a common friendly greeting.

Example

早饭很好吃。

Breakfast is delicious.

了吗？

le ma

(have you) …yet?

了 marks a finished action, and 吗 turns the sentence into a yes/no question. Say both lightly: le ma.

Example

你到家了吗？

Have you gotten home yet?

Words in this phrase

了

[luh]

completed action marker

Shows that an action has happened or a new situation has occurred.

Example

我想了很久，还是决定联系你。

I thought about it for a long time and still decided to contact you.

吗

[mah]

question particle (yes/no)

Placed at the end of a sentence to turn it into a yes/no question.

Example

新年你回家了吗？

Did you go home for the New Year?

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