我渴了
wǒ kě le
I'm thirsty
我渴了 (wǒ kě le) means "I'm thirsty" and is the standard way to express feeling thirsty in Mandarin Chinese. It's used in all casual and everyday contexts.
What does 我渴了 (wǒ kě le) mean?
我渴了 (wǒ kě le) means “I'm thirsty” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “I thirsty particle.”
When to use it
Neutral and direct. To ask if someone is thirsty, say 你渴了吗 (nǐ kě le ma)? If you're very thirsty, you can say 我很渴 (wǒ hěn kě), "I'm very thirsty."
How to pronounce it
Sounds like "waw KUH luh." The first two syllables have third tones, but the first one shifts to a rising tone when followed by another third tone, so it's actually said "wó kě le." The final "le" is a light, neutral tone.
Other ways to say it
- 我很渴wǒ hěn kěI'm very thirsty
- 你渴了吗？nǐ kě le ma?Are you thirsty?
- 口渴kǒukěthirsty (adjective)
Examples
我渴了，想喝水。
wǒ kě le, xiǎng hē shuǐ.
I'm thirsty, I want to drink water.
你渴了吗？我给你倒杯水。
nǐ kě le ma? wǒ gěi nǐ dǎo bēi shuǐ.
Are you thirsty? I'll pour you a glass of water.
他跑完步后觉得很渴。
tā pǎowán bù hòu juéde hěn kě.
He felt very thirsty after running.
Pro tip: The character 渴 (kě) sounds similar to 喝 (hē, 'to drink'), which can be a helpful way to remember it.
Related phrases
你吃饭了吗？ · Have you eaten好喝 · Tasty (drink)我吃饱了 · I'm full
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