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🥢 Food 💬 Everyday Priority 20 / 35

Mildly Spicy, Not Very Spicy

Ask for a little heat when you want spice but cannot handle a full restaurant portion.

🥢 PHRASE CARD
TravelHubChina

中文 / Chinese

我要微辣,不要太辣。

Wǒ yào wēilà, bú yào tài là.

English

I would like it mildly spicy — not very spicy.

Show this to a local Read the English for context
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How to use this card

  1. Save it before you travel. Download the whole pack from /rescue-cards/ and it works offline — no app, no data plan.
  2. Show the big Chinese line to whoever you are talking to. They read characters; the English at the bottom is for you.
  3. Say it out loud too if they hesitate. A spoken request gets a faster answer than a silent card, and repeating it removes all doubt.
  4. Read the English to understand the reply.

What they will likely say

  • “好的,微辣。” — Sure, mildly spicy.
  • “微辣还是不太辣?” — Mildly spicy, or not spicy at all?
  • “我们家的菜都偏辣。” — Our food does lean spicy.
  • “可以,我让厨房少放。” — Sure, I will ask the kitchen to use less.

Pro tips

  • The heat scale in China runs roughly: 不辣 (none) → 微辣 (mild) → 中辣 (medium) → 重辣 (heavy) → 特辣 (extra hot). Saying the level by name works far better than describing it.
  • Order at 微辣 even if you think you can take more. Chinese restaurants calibrate 微辣 for a foreign palate far more carefully than they calibrate 中辣.
  • At a noodle stall or street vendor, the cook is the person who needs to hear it — point at the card and say it out loud to them directly.
  • Full guide — background reading for this situation

This card is one of the TravelHubChina phrase cards — bilingual, offline, and verified against how people actually talk in China rather than textbook grammar. The full set is free at travelhubchina.com/rescue-cards/.

Need the full guide?

This card gives you the exact phrase. The full article walks you through the situation step-by-step.

Read the full guide →