喝 meaning and stroke order
To drink; variant of 嗬[he1]
How to write 喝, stroke by stroke
12 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 喝
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to drink
- variant of 嗬[he1]
- to shout
How 喝 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 曷 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 喝
喝 is built from 口 (mouth), which gives the meaning, and 曷 (hé), which gives the sound. Picture a mouth on the left taking a big sip, and let 曷 remind you that the word sounds like hē.
喝 (hē) is the everyday verb for drinking any liquid, such as water, tea, coffee, soup or alcohol. It often pairs with what you drink, as in 喝茶 (hēchá) and 喝酒 (hējiǔ). Example: 你想喝什么？ (Nǐ xiǎng hē shénme?) What would you like to drink?
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 喝 with 渴 (kě, thirsty), because both use the 曷 part on the right. Remember that 喝 has 口 (mouth) for the action of drinking, and 渴 has 氵 (water) for the feeling of needing water: 我渴了，想喝水 (Wǒ kě le, xiǎng hē shuǐ).
Common words with 喝
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 喝彩 | hècǎi | to acclaim; to cheer | HSK 7-9 |
| 吃喝玩乐 | chī-hē-wán-lè | (lit.) to eat, drink, play and be merry (idiom); (fig.) to abandon oneself to a life of pl | HSK 7-9 |
| 喝酒 | hējiǔ | to drink (alcohol) | |
| 喝醉 | hēzuì | to get drunk | |
| 喝茶 | hēchá | to drink tea; to get engaged | |
| 好喝 | hǎohē | tasty (drinks) | |
| 喝光 | hēguāng | to drink up; to finish (a drink) | |
| 喝掉 | hēdiào | to drink up; to finish (a drink) | |
| 吃喝 | chīhē | to eat and drink; food and drink |
喝 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 喝
How many strokes are in 喝?
喝 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 喝 mean?
喝 (hē) means to drink; variant of 嗬[he1]. A common word with it is 喝彩 (hècǎi), meaning "to acclaim; to cheer".
How do you pronounce 喝?
喝 is pronounced hē, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 喝?
The radical of 喝 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 喝 under this radical.
Is 喝 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 喝 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
When is 喝 pronounced hè instead of hē?
It is read hè when it means to shout or call out loudly. The common word is 喝彩 (hècǎi), to cheer or applaud. For drinking, it is always hē.
Do Chinese speakers say 喝 or 吃 for soup?
Most speakers say 喝汤 (hē tāng), since soup is a liquid you drink. The fixed phrase 吃喝 (chīhē) means eating and drinking together, as in 吃喝玩乐 (chī-hē-wán-lè).