食 meaning and stroke order
Food; to eat
How to write 食, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 食
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to eat
- food
- animal feed
- eclipse
- to feed (a person or animal)
How 食 is built
Pictographic character. A dish of food 良 with a lid on top 人.
How to remember 食
Picture a dish of food 良 at the bottom with a lid shaped like 人 sitting on top. When you lift the lid, it is time to eat 食 (shí).
In everyday speech, 吃 (chī) is the normal verb for "to eat," while 食 (shí) mostly appears in compound words and formal or written language, such as 食物 (shíwù), 食堂 (shítáng), and 零食 (língshí). Example: 我们去食堂吃饭吧。(Wǒmen qù shítáng chīfàn ba.) Let's go eat at the cafeteria.
Common mistake: Learners often use 食 alone as a verb in Mandarin, as in 我食饭, which sounds like Cantonese or classical Chinese. In standard Mandarin, say 我吃饭 (wǒ chīfàn). Also, as a left-side component, 食 shrinks to 饣, so do not expect the full shape inside characters like 饭 (fàn).
Common words with 食
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食物 | shíwù | food | HSK 2 |
| 食品 | shípǐn | foodstuff; food; provisions | HSK 3 |
| 美食 | měishí | culinary delicacy; fine food | HSK 3 |
| 粮食 | liángshi | foodstuff; cereals | HSK 4 |
| 食堂 | shítáng | dining hall; cafeteria | HSK 4 |
| 零食 | língshí | snack; nibbles | HSK 4 |
| 饮食 | yǐnshí | eating and drinking; food and drink; diet | HSK 5 |
| 食欲 | shíyù | appetite | HSK 6 |
| 食用 | shíyòng | to eat; to consume; edible | HSK 7-9 |
| 素食 | sùshí | vegetarian food; to eat a vegetarian diet | HSK 7-9 |
| 伙食 | huǒshí | food; meals | HSK 7-9 |
| 食宿 | shísù | board and lodging; room and board | HSK 7-9 |
| 膳食 | shànshí | meals; food | HSK 7-9 |
| 主食 | zhǔshí | staple food | HSK 7-9 |
食 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 食
Learning 食 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 食
How many strokes are in 食?
食 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 食 mean?
食 (shí) means food; to eat. A common word with it is 食物 (shíwù), meaning "food".
How do you pronounce 食?
食 is pronounced shí, in the second tone (rising).
Is 食 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 食 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Why does 食 sometimes read sì?
The reading sì means "to feed" someone or an animal. It is rare in modern Mandarin and mostly appears in classical texts. For everyday use, learn shí.
How does 食 mean eclipse?
In older usage, an eclipse was seen as the sun or moon being "eaten." That is why you see 日食 (rìshí) for a solar eclipse and 月食 (yuèshí) for a lunar eclipse.