喝 hē / hè — my goodness; to drink; shout applause
天热了要多喝水。Tiān rè le yào duō hē shuǐ.When it is hot, drink more water.
Common words: 喝彩 (hè cǎi)、吃喝玩乐 (chī hē wán lè)、喝道 (hè dào)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "my goodness"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "my goodness", including 喝 (hē / hè), 呵 (hē / ā). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "my goodness" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 喝 (hē / hè), 呵 (hē / ā) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span hē, hè, ā — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 喝 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 喝 hē / hèmy goodness; to drink; shout applauseUseful words: 喝彩, 吃喝玩乐
- 呵 hē / ā(phonetic particle); expel breath; my goodnessUseful words: 呵护, 呵责
Common words for these 2 "my goodness" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 喝 (hē / hè) — so "my goodness" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
喝彩hè cǎito acclaim; to cheer吃喝玩乐chī hē wán lèlit. to eat, drink, play and be merry (idiom); fig. to abandon oneself to a life of pleasure喝道hè dàoto shout (i.e. to say in a loud voice) (usually followed by the words shouted); (old) (of yamen bailiffs etc) to walk ahead of an official, shouting at pedestrians to clear the way呵护hē hùto bless; to cherish; to take good care of; to conserve呵责hē zéto abuse; to berate呵喝hē hèto shout loudly; to bellow; to berate
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 2 ways to say "my goodness".
呵 hē / ā — (phonetic particle); expel breath; my goodness
天气太冷，他呵了呵手取暖。Tiān qì tài lěng, tā hē le hē shǒu qǔ nuǎn.It was so cold that he breathed on his hands to warm them.
Common words: 呵护 (hē hù)、呵责 (hē zé)、呵喝 (hē hè)
All 2 characters
Open 喝、呵 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.