喝
hē
Drink
喝 (hē) is the most common and versatile verb for “to drink” in Mandarin Chinese. It's used for consuming any liquid, from water and tea to soup and alcoholic beverages.
When to use it
Neutral and appropriate in all everyday situations. To specify what you're drinking, simply place the liquid after 喝, such as 喝水 (drink water) or 喝茶 (drink tea). The noun for 'a drink' or 'beverage' is 饮料 (yǐnliào).
How to pronounce it
Sounds like “huh,” similar to the sound of surprise, but with a flat, high tone (first tone).
Other ways to say it
- 喝水hē shuǐdrink water
- 饮料yǐn liàobeverage / a drink (noun)
- 喝一杯hē yì bēihave a drink (often implies alcohol)
Examples
我口渴了，想喝水。
wǒ kǒu kě le ， xiǎng hē shuǐ 。
I'm thirsty, I want to drink water.
你喜欢喝咖啡吗？
nǐ xǐ huan hē kā fēi ma ？
Do you like to drink coffee?
晚上我们去喝一杯吧。
wǎn shàng wǒ men qù hē yì bēi ba 。
Let's go for a drink tonight.
Pro tip: While 喝 can be used alone, it's very common to specify the liquid, e.g., 喝牛奶 (drink milk). The phrase 喝一杯 is a casual way to suggest 'having a drink' socially, often implying alcohol.
Related phrases
龙 · Dragon饺子 · Dumpling金龙 · Gold dragon
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