喂

wèi
HSK 1
#1,985 most
frequent character
hello (interj., esp. on telephone)
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

喂 pairs 口 mouth, added only to set the character apart, with 畏 wèi, to fear. So it first meant to dread. Later the same sound was borrowed for "hello" and for feeding, with no link to the shape.

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Example Sentences

喂，你好！
wèi ， nǐhǎo ！
Hello, how are you!
我每天都要喂我家的狗。
wǒ měitiān dūyào wèi wǒjiā de gǒu 。
I have to feed my dog every day.
喂，这里有电话吗？
wèi ， zhèlǐ yǒu diànhuà ma ？
Hey, is there a phone here?

Same Characters, Different Readings

喂wéi
hello (when answering the phone)

Words with similar meanings

嗨hāi
Hi
A more casual and informal greeting than '喂'.
喂养wèiyǎng
To feed
More specific in the context of providing food to someone or something.

Homophones

HSK 3
位wèi
position, location, place, seat
HSK 5
胃wèi
stomach
HSK 5
畏wèi
to fear
慰wèi
to comfort, to console, to reassure
魏wèi
tower over a palace gateway (old)

Your word lists

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Public Lists with 喂

Common Communication Phrases
Polite expressions, apologies, congratulatory phrases, and casual chat.
Greetings & Farewells
Words used to greet people, say goodbye, or express good wishes.
HSK 1
All words for the HSK 1 test
Communication
Talking, calling, emails, letters, expressions for clarity and tone.