The chicken is a very interesting animal in Chinese culture. The rooster is also regarded as a symbol of “good fortune,” because the word for chicken in Chinese, jī, has a similar pronunciation to the word meaning “auspicious.” For this reason, in some places in Eastern China’s Shandong Province, hens are used as part of wedding ceremonies. On the other hand, if your boss treats you to dinner and makes a chicken head point at you, it means you are going to be fired soon. This is a euphemism for telling that person to be prepared. Now let’s learn some yummy chicken parts in Chinese.
Types of Chicken in Chinese
| Simplify | China | Traditional | Taiwan | English | Korean | Japanese |
| 鸡 | jī | 雞 | jī | Chicken | 닭 | 鶏 |
| 公鸡 | gōngjī | 公雞 | gōngjī | Rooster | 수탉 | 雄どり |
| 母鸡 | mǔjī | 母雞 | mǔjī | Hen | 암탉 | めん鳥 |
| 雏鸡 | chújī | 小雞 | xiǎojī | Chick | 병아리 | ひよこ |
| 肉鸡 | ròujī | 肉雞 | ròujī | Farm-grown chicken | 영계 | 若鶏 |
| 乌骨鸡 | wūgǔjī | 烏骨雞 | wūgǔjī | Black-bone chicken | 오골계 | ウコツケイ |
| 土鸡 | tǔjī | 土雞 | tǔjī | Free-range chicken | 등심 | 地鶏 |
Chicken Parts in Chinese
| Simplify | China | Traditional | Taiwan | English | Korean | Japanese |
| 鸡胸 | jīxiōng | 雞胸 | jīxiōng | Breast | 닭 가슴 | ムネ |
| 鸡翅膀 | jī chìbǎng | 雞翅 | jīchì | Wing | 닭 날개 | 手羽先 |
| 鸡腿 | jītuǐ | 雞腿 | jītuǐ | Legs or Thighs | 닭 다릿살 | モモ |
| 鸡爪 | jīzhuǎ | 雞腳 | jījiǎo | Feet | 닭발 | モミジ |
| 鸡心 | jīxīn | 雞心 | jīxīn | Heart | 닭 심장 | ハート |
| 鸡骨 | jīgǔ | 雞軟骨 | jī ruǎngǔ | Cartilage | 닭 무릎연골 | ナンコツ |
| 鸡柳 | jīliǔ | 雞柳 | jīliǔ | chicken fillet | 닭 안심 | ササミ |
| 鸡屁股 | jīpìgǔ | 七里香 | qīlǐxiāng | Butt | 닭 꼬리살 | ボンジリ |
| 鸡皮 | jīpí | 雞皮 | jīpí | Skin | 닭 껍질 | カワ |
Eggs in Chinese
| Simplify | China | Traditional | Taiwan | English | Korean | Japanese |
| 鸡蛋 | jīdàn | 雞蛋 | jīdàn | Egg | 닭 | 鶏 |
| 蛋白 | dànbái | 蛋白 | dànbái | Egg white | 단백 | 蛋白 |
| 蛋黄 | dànhuáng | 蛋黃 | dànhuáng | Yolk | 계란 노른자 | 卵黄 |
| 炒蛋 | chǎodàn | 炒蛋 | chǎodàn | Scrambled Egg | 계란 볶음 | 炒り卵 |
| 煎鸡蛋 | jiānjīdàn | 太陽蛋 | tàiyáng dàn | Sunny-side-up egg | 계란후라이 | 目玉焼き |
| 水煮蛋 | shuǐzhǔ dàn | 水煮蛋 | shuǐzhǔ dàn | Boiled Egg | 삶은 달걀 | ゆで卵 |
| 煎蛋卷 | jiāndànjuǎn | 歐姆蛋 | ōumǔdàn | Omelette | 오믈렛 | オムレツ |
| 荷包蛋 | hébāodàn | 荷包蛋 | hébāodàn | Over easy | 달걀 프라이 | 目玉焼き |
| 水波蛋 | shuǐbō dàn | 水波蛋 | shuǐbō dàn | Poached egg | 수란 | 温泉卵 |
| 蒸蛋 | zhēng dàn | 蒸蛋 | zhēng dàn | Steamed egg | 계란찜 | 茶碗蒸し |
Chicken Food in Chinese
| Simplify | China | Traditional | Taiwan | English | Korean | Japanese |
| 鸡块 | jīkuài | 雞塊 | jīkuài | Chicken nuggets | 치킨 너겟 | チキンナゲット |
| 烤鸡 | kǎojī | 烤雞 | kǎojī | Grilled chicken | 닭구이 | ローストチキン |
| 炸鸡 | zhájī | 炸雞 | zhàjī | Fried chicken | 닭튀김 | フライドチキン |
| 炸鸡排 | zhájīpái | 炸雞排 | zhàjīpái | Fried chicken cutlet | 지파이 | チキンカツ |
| 鸡汤 | jītāng | 雞湯 | jītāng | Chicken soup | 계탕 | 鶏の煮汁 |
| 布法罗 辣鸡翅 | Bùfǎluó làjīchì | 水牛城 辣雞翅 | shuǐniúchéng làjīchì | Buffalo wings | 버팔로윙 | ポパルロウィン |
| 火鸡 | huǒjī | 火雞 | huǒjī | Turkey | 칠면조 | 七面鳥 |
| 盐水鸡 | yánshuǐjī | 鹽水雞 | yánshuǐjī | Salted Chicken | 옌수지 | 塩水鶏 |
| 咸酥鸡 | xiánsūjī | 鹹酥雞 | xiánsūjī | Taiwanese fried chicken | 대만식 닭튀김 | 台湾風唐揚げ |
My Favorite Chicken Dishes
桶子雞/桶子鸡 tǒngzi jī is also called 甕仔雞 wèngzǎi jī in Taiwan. You coat the skin of the whole chicken with honey, stuff the belly with onions, garlic, and various spices, and roast it in a bucket. The skin of the cooked chicken is crispy and juicy. The traditional way to eat it is to take the meat right off the bone with your hands, dip it in the oil of the chicken, and coat it with pepper salt (a popular seasoning in Chinese culture). You can also take the onions and garlic stuffing along with the chicken and eat it together.
