喝

• Pinyin: hē
• Hanzi breakdown: 喝 = 口 (mouth) + 曷 (phonetic) — consuming liquid through the mouth

Meaning

To drink. The standard verb for consuming liquids.

Used for all beverages: water, tea, coffee, juice, soup (喝汤), and alcohol. Chinese uses 喝 for soup because soup is consumed as a liquid, unlike English which uses 'eat'. Common in polite offers: 你要喝什么？

Examples

1. 我每天喝很多水。 I drink a lot of water every day.
2. 你想喝什么茶？ What kind of tea would you like to drink?
3. 早上我喜欢喝咖啡。 I like to drink coffee in the morning.

Usage Guide

Context: food, everyday, hospitality

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请喝茶。(Please have some tea.)
• 你想喝点什么？(What would you like to drink?)

Don't Say

• 喝饭 (You don't 喝 rice or solid food — use 吃 for eating)

Origin & History

The character contains 口 (mouth) on the left, indicating an action performed with the mouth. The right component 曷 is phonetic.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal