吃 chī / jí — eat; eradicate; destroy; receive; eat; stammer
我喜欢吃妈妈做的菜。Wǒ xǐ huan chī mā ma zuò de cài.I like to eat the food my mom makes.
Common words: 吃饭 (chī fàn)、好吃 (hǎo chī)、吃惊 (chī jīng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "eat"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "eat", including 吃 (chī / jí), 吃 (chī / jí), 食 (shí / sì), 餐 (cān). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "eat" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 吃 (chī / jí), 吃 (chī / jí), 食 (shí / sì), 餐 (cān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span chī, jí, shí, sì, cān — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 吃 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 吃 chī / jíeat; eradicate; destroy; receive; eat; stammerUseful words: 吃饭, 好吃
- 吃 chī / jíeat; eradicate; destroy; receive; eat; stammerUseful words: 吃饭, 好吃
- 食 shí / sìanimal feed; eat; food; to feedUseful words: 食物, 食品
- 餐 cāneat; mealUseful words: 早餐, 晚餐
Common words for these 4 "eat" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 吃 (chī / jí) — so "eat" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
吃饭chī fànto have a meal; to eat; to make a living好吃hǎo chītasty; delicious吃惊chī jīngto be startled; to be shocked; to be amazed吃饭chī fànto have a meal; to eat; to make a living好吃hǎo chītasty; delicious吃惊chī jīngto be startled; to be shocked; to be amazed食物shí wùfood食品shí pǐnfoodstuff; food; provisions美食měi shículinary delicacy; fine food; gourmet food早餐zǎo cānbreakfast
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "eat".
吃 chī / jí — eat; eradicate; destroy; receive; eat; stammer
我喜欢吃妈妈做的菜。Wǒ xǐ huan chī mā ma zuò de cài.I like to eat the food my mom makes.
Common words: 吃饭 (chī fàn)、好吃 (hǎo chī)、吃惊 (chī jīng)
食 shí / sì — animal feed; eat; food; to feed
我们要养成健康的饮食习惯。Wǒ men yào yǎng chéng jiàn kāng de yǐn shí xí guàn.We should develop healthy eating habits.
Common words: 食物 (shí wù)、食品 (shí pǐn)、美食 (měi shí)
餐 cān — eat; meal
我们一家人正在享用丰盛的晚餐。Wǒ men yì jiā rén zhèng zài xiǎng yòng fēng shèng de wǎn cān.Our family is enjoying a hearty dinner.
Common words: 早餐 (zǎo cān)、晚餐 (wǎn cān)、午餐 (wǔ cān)
All 4 characters
Open 吃、吃、食 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.