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飲 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
飲yǐnto swallow, to drink; a kind of drinkzg, 12 strokes, radical 飠
yǐn(yin3)yin T3
  1. 1to swallow, to drink; a kind of drink
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March 24, 2026

飲yǐn(yin3)

The character 飲 (yǐn) primarily means 'to drink' or 'to swallow.' It can also refer to a type of drink, highlighting its usage in contexts related to beverages, such as water, tea, or alcohol. This character is commonly used in both everyday conversations and formal settings, particularly in relation to dining and hospitality.

Strokes12Radical飠
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, drinking is often a social activity, with specific rituals surrounding tea and alcohol consumption. 飲 is frequently seen in the context of tea ceremonies, which emphasize respect and tradition.

Memory tip

Imagine a giant cup (the radical 飲) overflowing with your favorite drink. As you watch it pour, you can hear the sound of 'yǐn' as it flows down your throat, making it easy to remember that it means 'to drink.' Visualizing this scene connects the form and sound of the character to its meaning.

Meanings of 飲

yǐn(yin3)
1to swallow, to drink; a kind of drink
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

Play it, then pick what 飲 means.

About 飲

飲Simplified
12Strokes
飠Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 飲

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Podcast: 飲

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AI study notes for 飲

Quick Contrast

饮 (yǐn) vs 喝 (hē) — use 饮 for formal or literary contexts, while 喝 is more casual.

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 飲 (yǐn) with 喝 (hē), which also means 'to drink' but is more informal and commonly used in everyday speech. While 飲 can be used in more formal contexts, such as in restaurants or ceremonies, it's essential to use the correct tone to avoid misunderstandings, as the third tone can sound similar to other tones.

HSK Study Tips

Though 飲 is not included in HSK levels, it connects with other food and drink-related vocabulary. Students should focus on using 飲 in sentences with related words like 水 (water), 茶 (tea), and 酒 (alcohol) to build contextual understanding.

Common Mistakes

Learners often mistakenly write 飲 as 影 (yǐng), which means 'shadow.' It's important to remember that 飲 has the radical for 'water' on the left side, which signifies its meaning related to drinking.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 飲

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Etymology of 飲

Formation typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 饣 represents the meaning and 欠 represents the sound. Simplified form of 飲.

Memory hint

food

Semantic (meaning)飠
+
Phonetic (sound)欠
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

飲 = 飠 + 欠. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 飲

IDS Structure⿰飠欠
飲Full character
=
飠shi2
left
欠qian4
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 飲?

How to say to swallow, to drink; a kind of drink in Chinese

“to swallow, to drink; a kind of drink” in Chinese is飲yǐn

The character 飲 (yǐn) primarily means 'to drink' or 'to swallow.' It can also refer to a type of drink, highlighting its usage in contexts related to beverages, such as water, tea, or alcohol. This character is commonly used in both everyday conversations and formal settings, particularly in relation to dining and hospitality.

When to use 飲

Be careful not to confuse 飲 (yǐn) with 喝 (hē), which also means 'to drink' but is more informal and commonly used in everyday speech. While 飲 can be used in more formal contexts, such as in restaurants or ceremonies, it's essential to use the correct tone to avoid misunderstandings, as the third tone can sound similar to other tones.

飲 or something close to it

饮 (yǐn) vs 喝 (hē) — use 饮 for formal or literary contexts, while 喝 is more casual.

What learners get wrong

Learners often mistakenly write 飲 as 影 (yǐng), which means 'shadow.' It's important to remember that 飲 has the radical for 'water' on the left side, which signifies its meaning related to drinking.

Write 飲

飲

Practice writing 飲 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 飲

Words containing this character20
饮料yǐnliàodrink飲料
饮食yǐnshídiet飲食
饮yǐnto drink㱃
餐饮cānyǐncatering餐飲
饮酒to drink wine飲酒
饮水yǐnshuǐdrinking water飲水
饮用drink飲用
饮用水yǐnyòngshuǐdrinking water飲用水
饮品beverage飲品
冷饮cold drink冷飲
畅饮to have a few drinks暢飲
饮茶to have tea and refreshments飲茶
痛饮to drink one's fill痛飲
狂饮to drink hard狂飲
饮水机water dispenser飲水機
软饮料soft drink軟飲料
热饮hot drink熱飲
暴饮暴食to eat and drink unreasonably暴飲暴食
一饮而尽to drain the cup in one gulp (idiom)一飲而盡
饮恨to nurse a grievance飲恨
Exercise 1 of 4

Words with 飲

What does 饮料 mean?

Frequently asked questions about 飲

Yes, 飲 can refer to any kind of drink, but it's often used in more formal or literary contexts.

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