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)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to feed"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to feed", including 食 (shí / sì), 饲 (sì), 喂 (wèi), 喂 (wèi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to feed" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 食 (shí / sì), 饲 (sì), 喂 (wèi), 喂 (wèi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shí, sì, wèi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 食 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 食 shí / sìanimal feed; eat; food; to feedUseful words: 食物, 食品
- 饲 sìto raise; to rear; to feedUseful words: 饲养, 饲料
- 喂 wèi(interjection) hello; to feed (someone or some animal); hey; telephone greeting; to feedUseful words: 喂养, 投喂
- 喂 wèi(interjection) hello; to feed (someone or some animal); hey; telephone greeting; to feedUseful words: 喂养, 投喂
Common words for these 4 "to feed" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 食 (shí / sì) — so "to feed" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
食物shí wùfood食品shí pǐnfoodstuff; food; provisions美食měi shículinary delicacy; fine food; gourmet food饲养sì yǎngto raise; to rear饲料sì liàofeed; fodder饲主sì zhǔpet owner喂养wèi yǎngto feed (a child, domestic animal etc); to keep; to raise (an animal)投喂tóu wèito feed (an animal)喂料wèi liàoto feed (also fig.)喂养wèi yǎngto feed (a child, domestic animal etc); to keep; to raise (an animal)
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 "to feed".
饲 sì — to raise; to rear; to feed
农民每天定时给猪喂饲料。Nóng mín měi tiān dìng shí gěi zhū wèi sì liào.The farmer feeds the pigs at fixed times every day.
Common words: 饲养 (sì yǎng)、饲料 (sì liào)、饲主 (sì zhǔ)
喂 wèi — (interjection) hello; to feed (someone or some animal); hey; telephone greeting; to feed
每天早上，奶奶都会喂院子里的鸡。Měi tiān zǎo shang, nǎi nai dōu huì wèi yuàn zi lǐ de jī.Every morning, Grandma feeds the chickens in the yard.
Common words: 喂养 (wèi yǎng)、投喂 (tóu wèi)、喂料 (wèi liào)
喂 wèi — (interjection) hello; to feed (someone or some animal); hey; telephone greeting; to feed
每天早上，奶奶都会喂院子里的鸡。Měi tiān zǎo shang, nǎi nai dōu huì wèi yuàn zi lǐ de jī.Every morning, Grandma feeds the chickens in the yard.
Common words: 喂养 (wèi yǎng)、投喂 (tóu wèi)、喂料 (wèi liào)
All 4 characters
Open 食、饲、喂 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.