食

See also: 飠, 饣, and 良

食 U+98DF, 食 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-98DF ← 飞 [U+98DE] CJK Unified Ideographs 飠 → [U+98E0]

⾷ U+2FB7, ⾷ KANGXI RADICAL EAT ← ⾶ [U+2FB6] Kangxi Radicals ⾸ → [U+2FB8]

⻝ U+2EDD, ⻝ CJK RADICAL EAT ONE ← ⻜ [U+2EDC] CJK Radicals Supplement ⻞ → [U+2EDE]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Alternative forms

• (when used as a left Chinese radical) 𩙿／飠／饣

Han character

食 (Kangxi radical 184, 食+0, 9 strokes, cangjie input 人戈日女 (OIAV), four-corner 8073₂, composition ⿱人良)

1. Kangxi radical #184, ⾷.

Derived terms

• Appendix:Chinese radical/食
• 𠋡, 喰, 湌, 𪦿, 𣈮, 𬨷, 𮇯, 𮔣, 𨢁, 𨩭, 𩩶
• 𮖛, 𪞓, 䓹, 篒, 𩮍, 𧃊, 𠩸, 𫷸, 𤸤, 𫔨

Further reading

• KangXi: page 1415, character 29
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 44014
• Dae Jaweon: page 1939, character 10
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4440, character 1
• Unihan data for U+98DF

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Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 食
Shang	Western Zhou	Spring and Autumn	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (食) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
飤	*ljɯɡs
食	*lɯɡs, *ɦljɯɡ
蝕	*ɦljɯɡ
飾	*hljɯɡ
飭	*l̥ʰɯɡ

Pictogram (象形): a mouth over a bowl of rice on a stand. While the current form is 人+良, the lower part (bowl of rice on a stand) is cognate to 皀, not to 良 or 艮. This is more visible in the form 𠊊.

Shuowen: Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *lɯɡs, *ɦljɯɡ): phonetic 亼 (OC *zub) + semantic 皀; see 𠊊.

Etymology 1

trad.		食
simp. #		食
alternative forms		𠊊

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m/s/g-ljak.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): shí (shi²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕˊ

  (Chengdu, SP): si²

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): шы (šɨ, II)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): sik⁶

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): set⁵

• Gan (Wiktionary): siit⁷
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): sṳ̍t

  (Meixian, Guangdong): sed⁶ / sêd⁶

• Jin (Wiktionary): seh⁵
• Min Bei (KCR): sī
• Min Dong (BUC): sĭk / siĕk
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): si̍t / se̍k

  (Teochew, Peng'im): sig⁸

• Wu (Wiktionary): zeq (T5)
• Xiang (Wiktionary): shi⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: shí
    • Zhuyin: ㄕˊ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyr
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shíh
    • Wade–Giles: shih2
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩³⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: si²
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: s
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩²¹/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: шы (šɨ, II)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: sik⁶
    • Yale: sihk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sik⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: xig⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɪk̚²/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: set⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /set̚³²/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: siit⁷
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɨt̚²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sṳ̍t
    • Hakka Romanization System: siid
    • Hagfa Pinyim: sid⁶
    • Sinological IPA: /sɨt̚⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: sed⁶ / sêd⁶
    • Sinological IPA: /sət̚⁵/, /sɛt̚⁵/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: seh⁵
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /səʔ⁵⁴/
• Min Bei
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sī
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si⁵⁵/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: sĭk / siĕk
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siʔ⁵/, /sieʔ⁵/

Note:

• sĭk - literary;
• siĕk - vernacular.

Min Nan

• (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Longyan, General Taiwanese)
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: si̍t
  • Tâi-lô: si̍t
  • Phofsit Daibuun: sit
  • IPA (Longyan): /ɕit̚⁵³/
  • IPA (Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /ɕit̚⁴/
  • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɕit̚¹²¹/
  • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /ɕit̚²⁴/
• (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: se̍k
  • Tâi-lô: si̍k
  • Phofsit Daibuun: sek
  • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɕiɪk̚¹²¹/
  • IPA (Xiamen): /ɕiɪk̚⁴/

Note:

• si̍t - vernacular (Xiamen, Zhangzhou), literary (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Taiwan);
• se̍k - literary.

• (Teochew)
  • Peng'im: sig⁸
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: si̍k
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sik̚⁴/

Wu

• (Shanghainese)
  • Wiktionary: zeq (T5)
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /z̥əʔ¹²/

Xiang

• (Changsha)
  • Wiktionary: shi⁶
  • Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /ʂi²⁴/
  • Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /ɕi²⁴/

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• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 食
Mandarin	Beijing	/ʂʐ̩³⁵/
	Harbin	/ʂʐ̩²⁴/
	Tianjin	/ʂʐ̩⁴⁵/
	Jinan	/ʂʐ̩⁴²/
	Qingdao	/ʃz̩⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/ʂʐ̩⁴²/
	Xi'an	/ʂʐ̩²⁴/
	Xining	/ʂʐ̩²⁴/
	Yinchuan	/ʂʐ̩¹³/
	Lanzhou	/ʂʐ̩⁵³/
	Ürümqi	/ʂʐ̩⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/sz̩²¹³/
	Chengdu	/sz̩³¹/
	Guiyang	/sz̩²¹/
	Kunming	/ʂʐ̩³¹/
	Nanjing	/ʂʐ̩ʔ⁵/
	Hefei	/ʂəʔ⁵/
Jin	Taiyuan	/səʔ⁵⁴/
	Pingyao	/ʂʌʔ⁵³/
	Hohhot	/səʔ⁴³/
Wu	Shanghai	/zəʔ¹/
	Suzhou	/zəʔ³/
	Hangzhou	/zəʔ²/
	Wenzhou	/zei²¹³/
Hui	Shexian	/ɕi²²/
	Tunxi	/ɕi¹¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/ʂʐ̩²⁴/
	Xiangtan	/ʂʐ̩²⁴/
Gan	Nanchang	/sɨʔ²/
Hakka	Meixian	/sət̚⁵/
	Taoyuan	/ʃït̚⁵⁵/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/sek̚²/
	Nanning	/sek̚²²/
	Hong Kong	/sik̚²/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/sik̚⁵/ /t͡siaʔ⁵/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/siʔ⁵/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/si⁴⁴/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/t͡siaʔ⁵/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/sek̚⁵/ /t͡sia³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: /ʑɨk̚/

Rime
Character	食
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	船 (27)
Final (韻)	職 (134)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	乗力切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʑɨk̚/
Pan Wuyun	/ʑɨk̚/
Shao Rongfen	/ʑiek̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʑik̚/
Li Rong	/d͡ʑiək̚/
Wang Li	/d͡ʑĭək̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/d͡ʑʰi̯ək̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shí
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sik6

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*mə-lək/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɦljɯɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	食
Reading #	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	shí
Middle Chinese	‹ zyik ›
Old Chinese	/*mə-lək/
English	eat
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	食
Reading #	2/2
No.	11477
Phonetic component	食
Rime group	職
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime
Old Chinese	/*ɦljɯɡ/

Definitions

食

1. (literary or Cantonese, Hakka) to eat; to have a meal; to take in

   你食咗飯未呀？ [Cantonese, trad.]
   你食咗饭未呀？ [Cantonese, simp.]

   nei⁵ sik⁶ zo² faan⁶ mei⁶ aa³? [Jyutping]

   Have you eaten yet?

   中國人係揸筷子食飯嘅。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   中国人系揸筷子食饭嘅。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   zung¹ gwok³ jan⁴ hai⁶ zaa¹ faai³ zi² sik⁶ faan⁶ ge³. [Jyutping]

   Chinese people use chopsticks to eat with.

   上星期日我同啲朋友一齊食晚飯。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   上星期日我同啲朋友一齐食晚饭。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   soeng⁶ sing¹ kei⁴ jat⁶ ngo⁵ tung⁴ di¹ pang⁴ jau⁵ jat¹ cai⁴ sik⁶ maan⁵ faan⁶. [Jyutping]

   Last Sunday, I ate dinner together with my friends.

   • 吾嘗終日不食，終夜不寢，以思，無益，不如學也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     吾尝终日不食，终夜不寝，以思，无益，不如学也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, circa 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Wú cháng zhōngrì bù shí, zhōngyè bù qǐn, yǐ sī, wú yì, bùrú xué yě. [Pinyin]

     I have been the whole day without eating, and the whole night without sleeping; occupied with thinking. It was of no use. The better plan is to learn.

2. (dialectal Cantonese, Hakka) to drink

   • 食酒愛食竹葉青。 [Sixian Hakka, trad.]
     食酒爱食竹叶青。 [Sixian Hakka, simp.]

     From: 《食酒歌》

     Sṳ̍t-chiú oi sṳ̍t chuk-ya̍p-chhiâng. [Pha̍k-fa-sṳ]

     If you drink wine, you have to drink Zhuyeqing (three-year-old Shaoxing wine).

3. (Cantonese, Hakka, Min) to smoke

   食煙 / 食烟 [Cantonese]  ―  sik⁶ jin¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to smoke

4. (Cantonese, board games) to capture

   玩盲棋嘅時候，車可以食馬、炮、士、象、卒。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   玩盲棋嘅时候，车可以食马、炮、士、象、卒。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   waan² maang⁴ kei⁴ ge³ si⁴ hau⁶, geoi¹ ho² ji⁵ sik⁶ maa⁵, baau¹, si⁶, zoeng⁶, cyut³. [Jyutping]

   When playing blind chess, a rook can capture knights, cannons, advisors, bishops or pawns.

5. (Cantonese, mahjong) Short for 食糊 (“to win”).
6. ^† meal; food
7. ^† edible
8. ^† Alternative form of 蝕／蚀 (shí, “to eat away; to erode”).
9. ^† Alternative form of 蝕／蚀 (shí, “eclipse (of the Sun or Moon)”).

Usage notes

• Cantonese and Hakka regularly use 食 to mean “to eat”, whereas Mandarin uses 吃 (chī).
• When playing mahjong in Cantonese, a player may say this word as a call when winning from another player's discard.

Synonyms

• See 食/derived_terms § Eat (Chinese).

Compounds

• See 食/derived_terms § Eat (Chinese).

Etymology 2

trad.		食
simp. #		食
alternative forms		𠊊

The *s- causative of Etymology 1.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sì (si⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄙˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi⁶
• Min Dong (BUC): sê̤ṳ
• Min Nan (Teochew, Peng'im): se⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: sì
    • Zhuyin: ㄙˋ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syh
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sìh
    • Wade–Giles: ssŭ4
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi⁶
    • Yale: jih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː²²/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: sê̤ṳ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /søy²⁴²/
• Min Nan
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: se⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sṳ̆
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɯ³⁵/

---

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*s-m-lək-s/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	食
Reading #	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sì
Middle Chinese	‹ ziH ›
Old Chinese	/*s-m-lək-s/
English	feed (v.)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Definitions

食

1. ^† Original form of 飼／饲 (sì, “to feed; to make ... eat or cause ... to eat”).

   • 故孝子不以食其親，忠臣不以食其君。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     故孝子不以食其亲，忠臣不以食其君。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mozi, circa 4^th century BCE

     Gù xiàozǐ bù yǐ sì qí qīn, zhōngchén bù yǐ sì qí jūn. [Pinyin]

     Thus a filial son will not feed it (the medicine) to his parent and a loyal minister will not feed it (the medicine) to his king.

Etymology 3

trad.		食
simp. #		食
alternative forms		吃 呷 噍

Kwok (2018) reconstructs Proto-Southern Min *tsiaʔ⁸ and tentatively reconstructs Proto-Min *dziak (in Norman's system).

While often considered as the vernacular counterpart to etymology 1, it is unlikely to be related to etymology 1 (Norman, 1991; Klöter, 2005; Fuehrer and Yang, 2014). Schuessler (2007) suggests it derives from 嚼 (OC *zewɢ, “to chew”) (probably based on Norman's unpublished manuscripts).

Pronunciation

• Min Dong (BUC): siăh^→siĕh
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): chia̍h / chiā / chǎ

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ziah⁸

---

• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: siăh^→siĕh
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sieʔ⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, Hsinchu, Lukang, Kinmen, Magong, Penang, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chia̍h
    • Tâi-lô: tsia̍h
    • Phofsit Daibuun: ciah
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /t͡ɕiaʔ²⁴/
    • IPA (Lukang): /t͡ɕiaʔ³⁵/
    • IPA (Singapore): /t͡ɕiaʔ⁴³/
    • IPA (Kinmen): /t͡ɕiaʔ⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡ɕiaʔ¹²¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Penang): /t͡ɕiaʔ⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Sanxia, Yilan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiā
    • Tâi-lô: tsiā
    • Phofsit Daibuun: cia
    • IPA (Yilan): /t͡ɕia³³/
  • (Hokkien: Longyan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chǎ
    • Tâi-lô: tsǎ
    • IPA (Longyan): /t͡sa⁵³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ziah⁸
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsia̍h
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siaʔ⁴/

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• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 食
Mandarin	Beijing	/ʂʐ̩³⁵/
	Harbin	/ʂʐ̩²⁴/
	Tianjin	/ʂʐ̩⁴⁵/
	Jinan	/ʂʐ̩⁴²/
	Qingdao	/ʃz̩⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/ʂʐ̩⁴²/
	Xi'an	/ʂʐ̩²⁴/
	Xining	/ʂʐ̩²⁴/
	Yinchuan	/ʂʐ̩¹³/
	Lanzhou	/ʂʐ̩⁵³/
	Ürümqi	/ʂʐ̩⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/sz̩²¹³/
	Chengdu	/sz̩³¹/
	Guiyang	/sz̩²¹/
	Kunming	/ʂʐ̩³¹/
	Nanjing	/ʂʐ̩ʔ⁵/
	Hefei	/ʂəʔ⁵/
Jin	Taiyuan	/səʔ⁵⁴/
	Pingyao	/ʂʌʔ⁵³/
	Hohhot	/səʔ⁴³/
Wu	Shanghai	/zəʔ¹/
	Suzhou	/zəʔ³/
	Hangzhou	/zəʔ²/
	Wenzhou	/zei²¹³/
Hui	Shexian	/ɕi²²/
	Tunxi	/ɕi¹¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/ʂʐ̩²⁴/
	Xiangtan	/ʂʐ̩²⁴/
Gan	Nanchang	/sɨʔ²/
Hakka	Meixian	/sət̚⁵/
	Taoyuan	/ʃït̚⁵⁵/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/sek̚²/
	Nanning	/sek̚²²/
	Hong Kong	/sik̚²/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/sik̚⁵/ /t͡siaʔ⁵/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/siʔ⁵/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/si⁴⁴/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/t͡siaʔ⁵/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/sek̚⁵/ /t͡sia³³/

Definitions

食

1. (Coastal Min) to eat; to have a meal

   食飯 / 食饭 [Hokkien]  ―  chia̍h-pn̄g [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to eat rice; to have a meal

   汝食飽未？ / 汝食饱未？ [Hokkien]  ―  Lí chia̍h pá bōe? [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  Have you eaten yet?

2. (Coastal Min) to drink

   食茶 [Teochew]  ―  ziah⁸ tê⁵ [Peng'im]  ―  to drink tea

   食燒酒 / 食烧酒 [Hokkien]  ―  chia̍h sio-chiú [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to drink rice wine

3. (Coastal Min) to take in; to inhale

   食薰 [Hokkien]  ―  chia̍h-hun [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to inhale smoke; to smoke

4. (Malaysia and Singapore Hokkien) to embezzle (money)

   食鐳 / 食镭 [Hokkien]  ―  chia̍h-lui [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to embezzle money

5. (Hokkien, mahjong) to chow
6. (Teochew; Penang Hokkien) cuisine

   Synonym: 菜 (cài)

   廣東食 / 广东食 [Teochew]  ―  Guangdong food

Usage notes

• When playing mahjong in Hokkien, a player may say this word as a call when forming a chowing another player's discard

Synonyms

• See 食/derived_terms § Eat (2) (Chinese).

Compounds

• See 食/derived_terms § Eat (2) (Chinese).

Descendants

• → Indonesian: ciak
• → Thai: เจี๊ยะ (jía)

Etymology 4

trad.		食
simp. #		食
alternative forms		饁／馌

From Proto-Min *jiap or *jiat (“to eat”). While sometimes considered as the vernacular counterpart to etymology 1, it may be from 饁 (OC *ɢrab, “to carry food to workers in the field”) (Norman, 1991; Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

• Min Bei (KCR): iè

---

• Min Bei
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: iè
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iɛ⁴²/

Definitions

食

1. (Inland Min) to eat

Etymology 5

trad.		食
simp. #		食

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yì (yi⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄧˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ji⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: yì
    • Zhuyin: ㄧˋ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yih
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yì
    • Wade–Giles: i4
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: ji⁶
    • Yale: yih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ji⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: yi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiː²²/

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• Middle Chinese: /jɨ^H/

Rime
Character	食
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	以 (36)
Final (韻)	之 (19)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	羊吏切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/jɨH/
Pan Wuyun	/jɨH/
Shao Rongfen	/ieH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/jɨH/
Li Rong	/iəH/
Wang Li	/jĭəH/
Bernard Karlgren	/iH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ji6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*lɯɡs/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	食
Reading #	1/2
No.	11476
Phonetic component	食
Rime group	代
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	異
Old Chinese	/*lɯɡs/

Definitions

食

1. ^† Used in personal names.

   酈食其 / 郦食其  ―  Lì Yìjī  ―  Li Yiji (an advisor to Liu Bang)

References

• “食”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[3], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• “Entry #5589”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (in Chinese and Min Nan), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2011.

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Japanese

Shinjitai	食
Kyūjitai	⻝

Kanji

食

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form ⻝)

1. to eat
2. a meal

Readings

• Go-on: い (i); じ (ji); じき (jiki, Jōyō ^†)
• Kan-on: い (i); し (shi); しょく (shoku, Jōyō)
• Kun: くう (kuu, 食う, Jōyō); くらう (kurau, 食らう, Jōyō); たべる (taberu, 食べる, Jōyō); はむ (hamu, 食む); すく (suku, 食く); おし (oshi, 食し); おす (osu, 食す); たぐ (tagu, 食ぐ); たぶ (tabu, 食ぶ); うか (uka, 食); うけ (uke, 食); け (ke, 食); し (shi, 食)

Compounds

• See 食/derived_terms § Kanji.

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
食
うか Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Unbound apophonic form 食 (uke).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝka̠]

Noun

食(うか) • (uka) 

1. food
2. grain

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
食
うけ Grade: 2
kun’yomi

uka + i → uke₂ → uke. Bound apophonic form 食 (uka).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝke̞]

Noun

食(うけ) • (uke) 

1. food

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
食
け Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Cognate with 笥 (ke).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ke̞]

Noun

食(け) • (ke) 

1. food

   御(み)食(け)つ国(くに)

   mi ke tsu kuni

   the land of foods

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
食
しょく Grade: 2
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese 食 (MC ʑɨk̚).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しょく [shòkú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɕo̞kɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

食(しょく) • (shoku) 

1. a meal
2. foodstuff

Derived terms

• See 食/derived_terms § Meal (Japanese).

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
食
しょく Grade: 2
kan’on

Alternative spelling
蝕

From Middle Chinese 蝕 (MC ʑɨk̚, “to eat away at, to erode; to eclipse”), originally the same word in Old Chinese as 食 (MC jɨ^H, ʑɨk̚, “to eat”).

First attested in the 延喜式 (Engishiki) of 927.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しょ​く [shóꜜkù] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɕo̞kɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

食(しょく) • (shoku) 

1. [from 927] 食, 蝕: (astronomy) eclipse (often, but not exclusively, of the sun or the moon)

   Synonyms: 日食 (nisshoku, “solar eclipse”), 月食 (gesshoku, “lunar eclipse”)

   • 2015, 田原真人, これだけ! 高校物理 波･音･光 波動編, 秀和システム, →ISBN, page 97:

     レーマーが木(もく)星(せい)の衛(えい)星(せい)の１(ひと)つであるイオの食(しょく)の周(しゅう)期(き)を測(そく)定(てい)したところ、一(いっ)定(てい)ではなく、地(ち)球(きゅう)の公(こう)転(てん)に伴(ともな)い変(へん)動(どう)することがわかりました。

     Rēmā ga Mokusei no eisei no hitotsu de aru Io no shoku no shūki o sokutei shita tokoro, ittei de wa naku, Chikyū no kōten ni tomonai hendō suru koto ga wakarimashita.

     When Rømer measured the period of the eclipses of Io, one of Jupiter's satellites, he discovered that it was not constant but fluctuated with the Earth's revolution.

Verb

食(しょく)する • (shoku suru) suru (stem 食(しょく)し (shoku shi), past 食(しょく)した (shoku shita))

1. [from 927] 食, 蝕: (astronomy) to eclipse (often, but not exclusively, the sun or the moon)

   Synonyms: 日食する (nisshoku suru, “to eclipse the sun”), 月食する (gesshoku suru, “to eclipse the moon”)

Inflection

Conjugation of "食する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	食し	しょくし	shoku shi
Continuative (連用形)	食し	しょくし	shoku shi
Terminal (終止形)	食する	しょくする	shoku suru
Attributive (連体形)	食する	しょくする	shoku suru
Hypothetical (仮定形)	食すれ	しょくすれ	shoku sure
Imperative (命令形)	食せよ¹ 食しろ²	しょくせよ¹ しょくしろ²	shoku seyo¹ shoku shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	食される	しょくされる	shoku sareru
Causative	食させる 食さす	しょくさせる しょくさす	shoku saseru shoku sasu
Potential	食できる	しょくできる	shoku dekiru
Volitional	食しよう	しょくしよう	shoku shiyō
Negative	食しない	しょくしない	shoku shinai
Negative continuative	食せず	しょくせず	shoku sezu
Formal	食します	しょくします	shoku shimasu
Perfective	食した	しょくした	shoku shita
Conjunctive	食して	しょくして	shoku shite
Hypothetical conditional	食すれば	しょくすれば	shoku sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

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Korean

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 食 (MC ʑɨk̚).

Historical readings
Recorded as Middle Korean 씩〮 (Yale: ssík) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448. Recorded as Middle Korean 식〯 (sǐk)訓 (Yale: sǐk) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527. Recorded as Middle Korean  식 ( sik)訓 (Yale: sik) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ɕʰik̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [식]

Hanja

Wikisource

食 (eumhun 밥 식 (bap sik))
食 (eumhun 먹을 식 (meogeul sik))

1. Hanja form^? of 식 (“meal; food”).
2. (literary) Hanja form^? of 식 (“to eat”).
   • 1919, 기미 독립 선언서(己未獨立宣言書) (gimi dongnip seoneonseo) [Proclamation of Korean Independence]:

     丙子修好條規(병자수호조규) 以來(이래) 時時種種(시시종종)의 金石盟約(금석맹약)을 食(식)하얏다 하야 日本(일본)의 無信(무신)을 罪(죄)하려 안이 하노라.

     Byeongjasuhojogyu irae sisijongjong-ui geumseongmaeng-yageul sikhayatda haya Ilbonui musineul joeharyeo ani hanora.

     Though Japan has repeatedly "eaten" (violated) their promises since the Treaty of 1876, we do not here condemn their perfidy.

Compounds

• See 食/derived_terms § Meal (Korean).

Etymology 2

Related to Middle Chinese 飼 (MC zɨ^H).

Historical readings
Recorded as Middle Korean ᄊᆞᆼ〮 (Yale: ssó) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448. Recorded as Middle Korean ᄉᆞ (so)訓 (Yale: so) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰa̠]
• Phonetic hangul: [사]

Hanja

食 (eumhun 먹이 사 (meogi sa))

1. (literary) Hanja form^? of 사 (“feed”).

Compounds

• See 食/derived_terms § Feed (Korean).

Etymology 3

From Middle Chinese 食 (MC jɨ^H).

Historical readings
Recorded as Middle Korean 잉〮 (Yale: í) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448.

Hanja

食 (eumhun 사람 이름 이 (saram ireum i))

1. Hanja form^? of 이 (“used in personal names”).

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [4]

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Kunigami

Kanji

食

• Kun: かむん (食むん, khamun)

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Miyako

Kanji

食

• Kun: ふぉー (食ー, fō)

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Okinawan

Kanji

食

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Kun: かむん (kamun, 食むん)

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Vietnamese

Han character

食: Hán Việt readings: thực (乘(thừa)力(lực)切(thiết)), tự
食: Nôm readings: thực, xực

1. chữ Hán form of thực (“food; meal”).

Compounds

• See 食/derived_terms § Vietnamese.

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Yaeyama

Kanji

食

• Kun: ほーん (食ーん, hōn)

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Yonaguni

Kanji

食

• Kun: ふん (食ん, fun)