吃

chī
HSK 1
#475 most
frequent character
to eat, to have one's meal
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

吃 first meant 'to stammer, stutter.' 口 'mouth' is the meaning part, and 乞 qǐ provides the sound. The sense 'to eat' was borrowed later only because of the sound, with no link in meaning.

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Example Sentences

我喜欢吃苹果。
wǒ xǐhuān chī píngguǒ 。
I like to eat apples.
他每天都吃午饭。
tā měitiān dū chī wǔfàn 。
He has lunch every day.
我们一起去吃饭吧。
wǒmen yīqǐqù chīfàn bā 。
Let's go eat together.

Words with similar meanings

用餐yòngcān
to dine
This term is more formal and usually implies having a meal in a social setting.
进食jìnshí
to ingest
This is a more technical term, often used in health contexts.

Homophones

离chī
mythical beast (archaic)

Words Starting With 吃

吃惊chī jīng
to be startled; to be shocked; to be amazed
吃亏chī kuī
to suffer losses; to come to grief; to lose out; to get the worst of it; to be at a disadvantage; unfortunately
吃力chī lì
entail strenuous effort; be a strain
吃苦chī kǔ
to bear; hardships

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Public Lists with 吃

Basic Verbs
Core action verbs like 'go,' 'come,' 'eat,' 'see,' commonly encountered in HSK.
Daily Routines
Verbs and nouns related to waking up, chores, personal care, and daily life.
HSK 1
All words for the HSK 1 test
Fruits & Vegetables
Common produce found in markets and daily meals.
Food (General)
Broad food-related words, general cuisine terms, eating habits.