HSK 1

English Meaning

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📚 Example Sentences

我喝水。
Wǒ hē shuǐ.
I drink water.
他喝。
Tā hē.
He drinks.
喝这个。
Hē zhège.
Drink this.
我每天早上喝水。
Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang hē shuǐ.
I drink water every morning.
她早餐时喝咖啡。
Tā zǎocān shí hē kāfēi.
She drinks coffee with her breakfast.

💡 Memory Tip

Think of the sound 'hē' as mimicking a satisfied sigh after drinking something refreshing, like 'ahh.' The character includes the mouth radical 口 on the left, reminding you it involves the mouth.

📝 Usage Notes

It is used in both formal and informal contexts, in spoken and written Chinese. Common in daily conversations about beverages, meals, or social drinking, such as asking about preferences or offering drinks.

📖 Grammar Points

Used as a transitive verb followed by an object (e.g., 喝啤酒). Can be used in resultative complements like 喝完 (finish drinking) or 喝醉 (get drunk). Also appears in serial verb constructions, e.g., 去喝咖啡 (go drink coffee).

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese culture, drinking tea or alcohol often has social significance, such as building relationships or during celebrations. Phrases like 干杯 (gānbēi, 'cheers') are common when drinking alcohol with others.

🔄 Similar Words

Similar to 饮 (yǐn), which also means 'to drink' but is more formal or literary. 喝 is the everyday, colloquial term, while 饮 appears in compounds like 饮食 (yǐnshí, 'food and drink') or 饮料 (yǐnliào, 'beverage').

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