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喝
hē
drink
我想喝水。
I want to drink water.
neutral
To take liquid into the mouth and swallow it
他喝了一杯咖啡。
He drank a cup of coffee.
请喝茶。
Please drink tea.
Commonly used with beverages like water, tea, coffee, juice, etc. Can be used in both literal and figurative contexts (e.g., '喝西北风' to describe living off empty promises).
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Drink vs. Eat
Remember: '喝' (hē) is for liquids only. Use '吃' (chī) for solid food. Example: '我吃饭' (I eat rice) vs. '我喝水' (I drink water).
Gold Rule
Beverage Context
Always use '喝' when referring to drinking beverages. Never use it for eating food.
Word Origin
From Old Chinese '吸' (xī), meaning 'to inhale' or 'to sip', evolving into modern '喝' with the addition of the mouth radical (口) to emphasize the action of drinking.
Usage Notes
1. '喝' is the most common verb for drinking in Mandarin Chinese. 2. It is used for liquids only; for eating solid food, use '吃' (chī). 3. In some dialects (e.g., Cantonese), '食' (sik6) can be used for both eating and drinking, but in Mandarin, '喝' is exclusively for liquids.
Word Breakdown
口
mouth radical, indicating the action involves the mouth
root曷
phonetic component, originally meaning 'how' or 'why'
root汉英词典