How to Say ‘Have you eaten yet?’ in Traditional Chinese
你吃飯了沒？
nǐ chī fàn le méi
[nǐ chīfàn le méi]
💬 Usage Tip: Adding 了沒 to the end turns a statement into a yes-or-no question about whether something has happened yet. Try 你下班了沒？ (nǐ xià bān le méi) "Are you off work yet?"
🇹🇼 In Taiwan: This is a greeting as much as a real question, a bit like "How's it going?" Coworkers say it around mealtimes, and a casual answer is fine even if nobody is planning to eat together.
Phrase Breakdown
你吃飯
nǐ chī fàn
you eat a meal
你 (nǐ) means 'you'. 吃飯 (chīfàn) means 'to eat' or 'to have a meal'.
你吃飯了嗎？
Have you eaten?
Words in this phrase
你
nǐ
[nǐ]
you
Refers to the person being spoken to.
你今天看起來很高興。
You look happy today.
吃飯
chī fàn
[chīfàn]
to eat a meal
Literally 'eat rice'; means having a meal in general.
我們中午一起吃飯吧。
Let's have lunch together at noon.
了沒？
le méi
yet? / or not?
了沒 (le méi) is a casual Taiwanese way to ask whether something has happened yet. The 了 is light and short.
你好了沒？
Are you ready yet?
Words in this phrase
了
le
[le]
completed action marker
Indicates an action has been completed.
他已經走了。
He has already left.
沒
méi
[méi]
not (yet); have not
Negates past actions or experiences; with 還 means 'not yet'.
我還沒吃飯。
I haven't eaten yet.
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