饭

• Pinyin: fàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 饭 = 饣(food) + 反 (reverse, phonetic) — cooked rice, a meal

Meaning

Meal; cooked rice; food. Refers to cooked rice specifically or meals in general.

Can mean both cooked rice (吃饭, eat rice/meal) and meals in general. 吃饭 is the most common way to say 'eat a meal' and is used as a greeting (你吃饭了吗？). Compounds include 早饭 (breakfast), 午饭 (lunch), 晚饭 (dinner), 做饭 (cook).

Examples

1. 我们去吃饭吧。 Let's go eat.
2. 妈妈在做饭。 Mom is cooking.
3. 你吃饭了吗？ Have you eaten?

Usage Guide

Context: food, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 吃饭了吗？(Have you eaten?)
• 晚饭吃什么？(What's for dinner?)

Don't Say

• 吃了饭食 (Redundant — 饭 already means food or meal; don't add 食 after it)

Origin & History

Composed of 饣(food radical) and 反 (reverse, phonetic) — food prepared for eating, specifically cooked rice.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal