Here's a little conversational Mandarin that may come in handy when eating in Noodletown.
Quantity
(pronounced softly) Eeee keh = 1
(pronounced softly) Liang keh = 2
(pronounced softly) San keh = 3
(pronounced powerfully) Sheh keh = 4
(pronounced softly) Woo keh = 5
(pronounced powerfully) Liow keh = 6
(pronounced softly) Chih keh = 7
(pronounced softly) Pah keh = 8
(pronounced softly) Tsiow keh = 9
La = pull
Mien = noodles
LaMien = handpulled noodles
Using the word 'Mien' will suffice,
but when referring to handpulled noodles,
then we'll use 'LaMien' for finesse.
Sway Tsiao = dumplings
Exercise:
We had 3 bowls of LaMien, 3 bottles of cola, and a plate of dumplings.
Translation (San keh LaMien, San keh Cola, Eee keh SwayTsiao).
Was that easy or what?
Note: Mandarin, like many languages, is very much dependent on proper pronunciation,
such that a minor change in inflection changes the whole meaning.
So it is important to get it right the first time.
However, unlike English whose grammar and tenses are much complicated,
the structure of Mandarin (or Nihonggo) is so straight-forward
that learning the BASICS is actually EASY.
The only challenge actually is MASTERING the language
since the vocabulary is so large,
and the myriad of the way a word can be pronounced.
It pays to know a little bit of foreign languages here and there,
for shopping and dining purposes. Enjoy!