The character 吃 — “eat”: how to write it and what it means
eat
The Chinese character 吃 is read chī and means “eat”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 吃
吃 has 6 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 吃, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 吃 is made of
On the left, 口 “mouth”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 吃
- 好吃tastyHSK 1
- 吃惊be surprised, be amazedHSK 4
- 小吃snacks, street foodHSK 4
- 大吃一惊be greatly surprised, be stunnedHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 吃?
吃 has 6 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 吃 mean?
吃 means “eat”. It appears in 好吃 (“tasty”), 吃惊 (“be surprised”), 小吃 (“snacks”), 大吃一惊 (“be greatly surprised”).
How do you pronounce 吃?
吃 is read chī. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 吃 have?
6 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 吃 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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