to cook; to prepare a meal
做饭
Common Usage & Traps
- 做饭 — to cook a meal
- 在家做饭 — to cook at home
- 回家做饭 — to go home and cook
- 做饭吃 — to cook and eat
- 给朋友做饭 — to cook for a friend
- 做晚饭 — to cook dinner
- 做米饭 — to cook rice
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我做饭你我给你做饭You need 给 before the person. 做饭 cannot take 你 right after it.
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我做饭你吃我做饭给你吃The person you cook for goes after 给, not before 吃.
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我做我做饭 / 我做菜做 alone is too general. For cooking, add 饭 or 菜.
Does 做饭 mean cooking rice, or cooking a meal?
做饭 means making a meal; 饭 here usually means meal, not just rice.
English speakers often read 饭 as only 'rice', but in 做饭 it means a meal as a whole. If you only cook rice, say 做米饭; if you make dinner with dishes, 做饭 is normal. So 我回家做饭 does not mean you are only cooking rice. “星期日和天， 日日和爱人， 超市买菜米， 回家做饭忙。” (Sunday and the day, every day with my loved one, buying groceries at the supermarket, busy cooking at home.) ── [《一到十二月》](/read/twelve-months-daily-life#s5)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 饭 | meal | only rice |
| Cook a meal | 做饭 | 做米 |
| Cook rice | 做米饭 | 做饭 (if you mean rice only) |
How do you say 'I cook for you' in Chinese?
Use 给 before the person: 我给你做饭, or 做饭给你吃.
You cannot say 我做饭你, because 你 cannot sit after 做饭 as the person receiving the food. Use 给 + person + 做饭 for the simple pattern: 我给你做饭. Or say 我做饭给你吃, which sounds warm and everyday.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Simple pattern | 我给你做饭 | 我做饭你 |
| With 吃 ending | 我做饭给你吃 | 我做饭你吃 |
| Tone | everyday, helpful | broken word order |
Can you just say 做 to mean 'cook'?
Usually no. 做 is a general 'do/make'; 做饭 or 做菜 makes 'cook' clear.
做 by itself needs context, like 今天谁做? meaning who is cooking today. Without context, 我做 sounds unfinished, because the listener waits for what you do. Say 我做饭 or 我做菜 when cooking is the point.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Cook a meal | 我做饭。 | 我做。 |
| Cook dishes | 我做菜。 | 我做。 |
| Needs context | 今天谁做？ | 我做。 (alone) |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
Welcome! This short poem helps you practice the months, weekdays, and mealtimes in Chinese. Read it aloud and notice the rhythm. You already know many of these words!
- Scene #1
星期日和天，日日和爱人，超市买菜米，回家 做饭 忙。
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