食

See also: 飠, 饣, and 良

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

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Alternative forms

• ⾷ (U+2FB7) (Kangxi radical)
• (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

• Index:Chinese radical/食

Further reading

• Kangxi Dictionary: 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／形声, 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

  (Pinyin): shí (shi²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕˊ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): sik⁶

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): set⁵

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): sṳ̍t

  (Meixian, Guangdong): sed⁶ / sêd⁶

• Northern Min (KCR): sī
• Eastern Min (BUC): sĭk / siĕk
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): si̍t / se̍k

  (Teochew, Peng'im): sig⁸

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁸zeq

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shí
    • Zhuyin: ㄕˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shíh
    • Wade–Giles: shih²
    • Yale: shŕ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyr
    • Palladius: ши (ši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: sik⁶
    • Yale: sihk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sik⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: xig⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɪk̚²/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: set⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /set̚³²/
• 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/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sī
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si⁵⁵/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: sĭk / siĕk
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siʔ⁵/, /sieʔ⁵/

Note:

• sĭk - literary;
• siĕk - vernacular.

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: si̍t
    • Tâi-lô: si̍t
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sit
    • IPA (Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /sit̚⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /sit̚¹²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /sit̚²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: se̍k
    • Tâi-lô: si̍k
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sek
    • IPA (Xiamen): /siɪk̚⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /siɪk̚¹²¹/

Note:

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

• (Teochew)
  • Peng'im: sig⁸
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: si̍k
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sik̚⁴/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁸zeq
    • MiniDict: zeh^入
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁵zeq
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /zəʔ¹²/

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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 (Hokkien)	/sik̚⁵/ /t͡siaʔ⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/siʔ⁵/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/si⁴⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/t͡siaʔ⁵/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/sek̚⁵/ /t͡sia³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: zyik

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
Baxter	zyik
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

(deprecated template usage) 食

1. (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.

2. (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) to smoke

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

4. (Cantonese, chess, etc.) to capture
5. ^† meal; food
6. ^† edible
7. ^† (deprecated template usage) Alternative form of 蝕／蚀 (shí, “to eat away; to erode”).
8. ^† (deprecated template usage) 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).
• Mandarin uses 吸 (xī) for “to smoke”.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 吃 (“to eat”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		食1
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		吃
Mandarin	Beijing	吃
	Taiwan	吃
	Harbin	吃, 𠯪
	Yantai (Muping)	吃
	Jinan	吃
	Wanrong	吃
	Xi'an	吃
	Ürümqi	吃
	Wuhan	吃
	Chengdu	吃
	Chongqing	吃
	Guilin	吃, 𠯪 dated
	Liuzhou	吃
	Yangzhou	吃
	Nanjing	吃
	Hefei	吃
	Malaysia	吃
	Singapore	吃
	Olginsky (Mikhaylovka)	吃
Cantonese	Guangzhou	食1, 吃
	Hong Kong	食1, 吃
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	吃
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	吃
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	食1
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	食1
	Macau	食1
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	食1
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	食1
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	食1
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	食1
	Foshan	食1
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	食1
	Foshan (Shunde)	食1
	Foshan (Sanshui)	食1
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	吃
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	吃
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	吃
	Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)	吃
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	吃
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	食1
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	吃
	Taishan	吃
	Kaiping (Chikan)	吃
	Enping (Niujiang)	吃
	Heshan (Yayao)	食1
	Dongguan	食1
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	食1
	Shenzhen (Dapeng)	食1
	Qingyuan	食1
	Fogang	食1
	Yingde (Hanguang)	食1
	Yangshan	吃
	Lianshan (Butian)	吃
	Lianzhou (Qingshui Sihui)	吃
	Shaoguan	食1
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	食1
	Renhua	食1
	Lechang	食1
	Zhaoqing (Gaoyao)	吃
	Sihui	吃
	Guangning	吃
	Deqing	吃
	Huaiji	吃
	Fengkai (Nanfeng)	吃
	Yunfu	食1
	Xinxing	吃
	Luoding	食1
	Yunan (Pingtai)	吃
	Yangjiang	吃
	Xinyi	食1
	Maoming (Xinpo)	食1
	Lianjiang	食1
	Wuchuan (Wuyang)	吃
	Nanning	食1
	Wuzhou	食1
	Yulin	吃
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	吃
	Hepu (Shatian)	吃
	Guiping	食1
	Mengshan (Xihe)	吃
	Guigang (Nanjiang)	吃
	Beiliu (Tangliao)	吃
	Baise	吃
Bobai	吃
Lingshan	吃
Pubei	吃
Qinzhou	食1
Qinzhou (Xiniujiao)	吃
Beihai	食1
Beihai (Nankang)	食1
Beihai (Yingpan)	吃, 食1
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	食1
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	食1
Ningming	食1
Hengzhou	吃
Hezhou (Pumen)	吃
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	食1
Danzhou	吃
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	食1
Penang (Guangfu)	食1
Singapore (Guangfu)	食1
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	食1
Móng Cái	食1
Gan	Nanchang	吃
	Pingxiang	吃
Hakka	Meixian	食1
	Xingning	食1
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	食1
	Huiyang	食1
	Huidong (Daling)	食1
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	食1
	Boluo (Bendihua)	食1
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	食1
	Zhongshan (Wuguishan)	食1
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	食1
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	食1
	Wuhua (Meilin)	食1
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	食1
	Zijin	食1
	Longchuan (Tuocheng Bendihua)	食1
	Heping (Linzhai Bendihua)	食1
	Lianping (Longjie Bendihua)	食1
	Wengyuan	食1
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	食1
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	食1
	Liannan	食1
	Conghua (Lütian)	食1
	Jiexi	食1
	Luhe	食1
	Zhao'an (Xiuzhuan)	食1
	Changting	食1
	Wuping	食1
	Wuping (Yanqian)	食1
	Wuping (Pingyu)	食1
	Liancheng	食1
	Ninghua	食1
	Yudu	食1
	Ruijin	食1
	Shicheng	食1
	Shangyou (Shexi)	食1
	Tonggu (Sandu)	食1
	Ganzhou (Panlong)	食1
	Dayu	食1
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	食1
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	食1
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	食1
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	食1
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	食1
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	食1
	Hong Kong	食1
	Yangxi (Tangkou)	食1
	Yangchun (Sanjia)	食1
	Xinyi (Sihe)	食1
	Xinyi (Qianpai)	食1
	Gaozhou (Xindong)	食1
	Maoming (Shalang, Dianbai)	食1
	Huazhou (Xin'an)	食1
	Lianjiang (Shijiao)	食1
	Lianjiang (Qingping)	食1
	Mengshan (Xihe)	食1
	Luchuan	食1
	Luchuan (Daqiao)	食1
	Beiliu (Tang'an)	食1
	Mashan (Pianlian)	食1
	Senai (Huiyang)	食1
	Kuching (Hepo)	食1
	Sungai Tapang, Batu Kawa (Hepo)	食1
	Singapore (Meixian)	食1
	Singapore (Dabu)	食1
Huizhou	Jixi	吃
Jin	Taiyuan	吃
Northern Min	Jian'ou	饁
	Songxi	饁
	Zhenghe	饁
	Jianyang	饁
	Wuyishan	饁
	Pucheng (Shibei)	饁
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	食3
	Changle	食3
	Fuqing	食3
	Yongtai	食3
	Gutian	食3
	Fu'an	食3
	Ningde	食3
	Shouning	食3
	Zhouning	食3
	Fuding	食3
	Matsu	食3
	Singapore (Fuqing)	食3
	Sitiawan (Gutian)	食3
Southern Min	Xiamen	食3, 捋 slang, 唵 childish
	Quanzhou	食3, 煰, 捋 slang
	Jinjiang	食3
	Yongchun	食3
	Zhangzhou	食3, 捋 slang, 唵 childish
	Zhao'an	食3
	Taipei	食3
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	食3
	Kaohsiung	食3
	Yilan	食3
	Changhua (Lukang)	食3
	Taichung	食3
	Tainan	食3
	Hsinchu	食3
	Kinmen	食3
	Penghu (Magong)	食3
	Penang (Hokkien)	食3
	Singapore (Hokkien)	食3
	Manila (Hokkien)	食3, 唵唵 childish
	Medan (Hokkien)	食3
	Longyan	食3
	Zhangping	食3
	Zhangping (Yongfu)	食3
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	食3
	Chaozhou	食3
	Shantou	食3
	Shantou (Chenghai)	食3
	Shantou (Chaoyang)	食3
	Jieyang	食3
	Haifeng	食3
	Bangkok (Teochew)	食3
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	食3
	Singapore (Teochew)	食3
	Batam (Teochew)	食3
	Pontianak (Teochew)	食3
	Wenchang	食3
	Haikou	食3
	Qionghai	食3
	Singapore (Hainanese)	食3
Puxian Min	Putian	食3
	Xianyou	食3
Central Min	Yong'an	饁
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	吃
	Sanxiang	食3
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	吃
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dahe)	吃
Wu	Shanghai	吃
	Shanghai (Chongming)	吃
	Suzhou	吃
	Hangzhou	吃
	Wenzhou	吃
	Jinhua	吃
Xiang	Changsha	吃
	Loudi	吃
	Shuangfeng	吃

Dialectal synonyms of 喝 (“to drink”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		飲
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		喝
Mandarin	Beijing	喝
	Taiwan	喝
	Harbin	喝
	Yantai (Muping)	喝
	Jinan	喝
	Luoyang	喝
	Wanrong	喝
	Xi'an	喝
	Yinchuan	喝
	Lanzhou	喝
	Xining	喝
	Ürümqi	喝
	Wuhan	喝, 呵, 汩
	Chengdu	吃, 喝
	Guiyang	吃, 喝, 汩
	Guilin	喝
	Liuzhou	吃, 喝
	Xuzhou	喝, 吃
	Yangzhou	吃, 喝
	Nanjing	吃, 喝
	Hefei	喝
	Malaysia	喝
	Singapore	喝
	Olginsky (Mikhaylovka)	喝
Cantonese	Guangzhou	飲, 呷
	Hong Kong	飲, 呷
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	飲
	Macau	飲
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	飲
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	飲
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	飲
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	飲
	Foshan	飲
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	飲
	Foshan (Shunde)	飲
	Foshan (Sanshui)	飲
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	飲
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	飲
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	飲
	Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)	飲
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	飲
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	飲
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	飲
	Taishan	飲
	Kaiping (Chikan)	飲
	Enping (Niujiang)	飲
	Heshan (Yayao)	飲
	Dongguan	飲, 食1, 呷
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	飲
	Yangjiang	呷, 吃
	Wuzhou	飲
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	吃
	Hepu (Shatian)	飲
	Qinzhou	飲
	Qinzhou (Xiniujiao)	飲
	Beihai	食1
	Beihai (Nankang)	飲
	Beihai (Yingpan)	飲
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	飲
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	飲
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	飲, 食1
	Danzhou	吃
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	飲
	Penang (Guangfu)	飲
	Singapore (Guangfu)	飲
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	飲
	Móng Cái	飲
Gan	Nanchang	吃
	Lichuan	吃
	Pingxiang	吃
Hakka	Meixian	食1, 啉, 飲, 啜
	Xingning	食1
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	飲
	Huiyang	食1
	Huidong (Daling)	食1
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	食1
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	食1
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	食1, 飲
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	食1
	Wuhua (Meilin)	食1
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	食1
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	食1
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	食1
	Conghua (Lütian)	飲
	Jiexi	食1
	Changting	食1
	Wuping	食1
	Wuping (Pingyu)	食1
	Liancheng	食1
	Ninghua	食1
	Yudu	食1
	Ruijin	食1
	Shicheng	食1
	Shangyou (Shexi)	食1
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	食1, 啉, 飲
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	食1, 啉, 飲
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	食1, 啉, 飲
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	食1, 啉, 飲
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	食1, 啉, 飲
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	啉, 食1
	Hong Kong	食1
	Luchuan	食1
	Kuching (Hepo)	食1, 飲, 啉
	Sungai Tapang, Batu Kawa (Hepo)	食1
Huizhou	Jixi	吃
Jin	Taiyuan	喝
	Xinzhou	喝
Northern Min	Jian'ou	啜, 饁
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	啜, 食3
	Singapore (Fuqing)	食3
	Sitiawan (Gutian)	食3
Southern Min	Xiamen	啉, 食3, 哈 alcohol, 啜 usually soup
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	啉
	Quanzhou	啉, 食3, 哈 alcohol, 啜 usually soup
	Jinjiang	啉
	Zhangzhou	啉, 食3, 啜 usually soup
	Zhao'an	食3, 啉
	Taipei	啉
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	啉
	Kaohsiung	啉
	Yilan	啉, 哈, 食3
	Changhua (Lukang)	啉
	Taichung	啉
	Tainan	啉, 哈, 食3, 灌
	Hsinchu	啉, 哈
	Kinmen	啉
	Penghu (Magong)	食3, 啉
	Penang (Hokkien)	啉
	Singapore (Hokkien)	啉
	Manila (Hokkien)	啉
	Medan (Hokkien)	啉
	Chaozhou	食3, 啉
	Shantou	食3, 啉
	Shantou (Chenghai)	食3, 啉
	Jieyang	食3, 啉
	Haifeng	食3
	Singapore (Teochew)	食3
	Batam (Teochew)	食3
	Pontianak (Teochew)	食3, 啉
	Leizhou	啜, 食3
	Wenchang	啜, 食3
	Haikou	啜, 食3
	Qionghai	啜, 食3
	Singapore (Hainanese)	食3, 啜
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	飲
	Sanxiang	飲
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	飲, 吃, 呷
Wu	Shanghai	吃, 呷, 呼
	Shanghai (Chongming)	吃
	Suzhou	吃, 呷, 呼
	Danyang	吃
	Hangzhou	吃
	Hangzhou (Yuhang)	吃
	Ningbo	吃
	Wenzhou	呷, 吃
	Jinhua	吃, 呷
Xiang	Changsha	吃
	Loudi	吃
	Shuangfeng	吃, 呵

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
• Eastern Min (BUC): sê̤ṳ
• Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): se⁶

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

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• 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

(deprecated template usage) 食

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

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

• Eastern Min (BUC): siăh^→siĕh
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): chia̍h / chiā

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ziah⁸

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• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: siăh^→siĕh
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sieʔ⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, Hsinchu, Lukang, Kinmen, Magong, Penang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chia̍h
    • Tâi-lô: tsia̍h
    • Phofsit Daibuun: ciah
    • IPA (Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Penang): /t͡siaʔ⁴/
    • IPA (Lukang): /t͡siaʔ³⁵/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡siaʔ¹²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡siaʔ²⁴/
    • IPA (Kinmen): /t͡siaʔ⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Sanxia, Yilan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiā
    • Tâi-lô: tsiā
    • Phofsit Daibuun: cia
    • IPA (Yilan): /t͡sia³³/
  • (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 (Hokkien)	/sik̚⁵/ /t͡siaʔ⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/siʔ⁵/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/si⁴⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/t͡siaʔ⁵/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/sek̚⁵/ /t͡sia³³/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 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

Descendants

• → Indonesian: ciak

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

• Northern Min (KCR): iè

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

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 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)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yì
    • Zhuyin: ㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yì
    • Wade–Giles: i⁴
    • Yale: yì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yih
    • Palladius: и (i)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: ji⁶
    • Yale: yih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ji⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: yi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiː²²/

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• Middle Chinese: yiH

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
Baxter	yiH
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

(deprecated template usage) 食

1. ^† Only used in names.

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

Further reading

• “Entry #5589”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

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Japanese

Kanji

食

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

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

Compounds

• 食(じき)堂(どう) (jikidō)
• 食(じき)封(ふ) (jikifu)
• 餌(え)食(じき) (ejiki)
• 断(だん)食(じき) (danjiki)
• 食(た)べ物(もの) (tabemono)
• 共(とも)食(ぐ)い (tomogui)
• 気(き)に食(く)わない (ki ni kuwanai)

Etymology 1

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

Unbound apophonic form 食 (uke).

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).

Noun

食(うけ) • (uke) 

1. food

Etymology 3

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

Cognate with 笥 (ke).

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 zyik).

Noun

食(しょく) • (shoku) 

1. a meal
2. foodstuff
3. an eclipse

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 食(しょく)塩(えん) (shokuen)
• 食(しょく)事(じ) (shokuji)
• 食(しょく)餌(じ) (shokuji)
• 食(しょく)尽(じん) (shokujin)
• 食(しょく)卓(たく) (shokutaku)
• 食(しょく)道(どう) (shokudō)
• 食(しょく)堂(どう) (shokudō)
• 食(しょく)費(ひ) (shokuhi)
• 食(しょく)品(ひん) (shokuhin)
• 食(しょく)封(ほう) (shokuhō)
• 食(しょく)物(もつ) (shokumotsu)
• 食(しょく)欲(よく) (shokuyoku)
• 食(しょく)料(りょう) (shokuryō)
• 食(しょく)糧(りょう) (shokuryō)
• 飲(いん)食(しょく) (inshoku)
• 会(かい)食(しょく) (kaishoku)
• 軽(けい)食(しょく) (keishoku)
• 月(げっ)食(しょく) (gesshoku)
• 菜(さい)食(しょく) (saishoku)
• 蚕(さん)食(しょく) (sanshoku)
• 侵(しん)食(しょく) (shinshoku)
• 浸(しん)食(しょく) (shinshoku)
• 絶(ぜっ)食(しょく) (zesshoku)
• 朝(ちょう)食(しょく) (chōshoku)
• 昼(ちゅう)食(しょく) (chūshoku)
• 日(にっ)食(しょく) (nisshoku)
• 陪(ばい)食(しょく) (baishoku)
• 伴(ばん)食(しょく) (banshoku)
• 腐(ふ)食(しょく) (fushoku)
• 米(べい)食(しょく) (beishoku)
• 偏(へん)食(しょく) (henshoku)
• 飽(ほう)食(しょく) (hōshoku)
• 夜(や)食(しょく) (yashoku)
• 夕(ゆう)食(しょく) (yūshoku)
• 糧(りょう)食(しょく) (ryōshoku)
• 食(しょく)中(ちゅう)毒(どく) (shokuchūdoku)
• 衣(い)食(しょく)住(じゅう) (ishokujū)
• 皆(かい)既(き)食(しょく) (kaikishoku)

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Korean

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 食 (MC zyik). Recorded as Middle Korean 식〯 (sǐk) (Yale: sik) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

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”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 식객 (食客, sikgaek)
• 식구 (食口, sikgu)
• 식권 (食券, sikgwon)
• 식기 (食器, sikgi)
• 식당 (食堂, sikdang)
• 식량 (食糧, singnyang)
• 식료 (食料, singnyo)
• 식사 (食事, siksa)
• 식욕 (食慾/食欲, sigyok)
• 식초 (食醋, sikcho)
• 식탁 (食卓, siktak)
• 식품 (食品, sikpum)
• 간식 (間食, gansik)`
• 고식 (孤食, gosik)
• 곡식 (穀食, goksik)
• 단식 (斷食, dansik)
• 소식 (蔬食, sosik)
• 양식 (洋食, yangsik)
• 월식 (月食, wolsik)
• 음식 (飮食, eumsik)
• 일식 (日食, ilsik)
• 잠식 (蠶食, jamsik)
• 절식 (絶食, jeolsik)
• 주식 (主食, jusik)
• 중식 (中食, jungsik)
• 채식 (菜食, chaesik)
• 포식 (捕食, posik)
• 폭식 (暴食, poksik)
• 한식 (韓食, hansik)
• 식생활 (食生活, siksaenghwal)
• 식용유 (食用油, sigyong'yu)
• 식인종 (食人種, siginjong)
• 식중독 (食中毒, sikjungdok)
• 몰식자 (沒食子, molsikja)
• 약육강식 (弱肉強食, yagyukgangsik)

Etymology 2

Hanja

食 (eumhun 먹이 사 (meogi sa))

1. Hanja form^? of 사 (“feed”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 사기 (食氣, sagi)
• 단사 (簞食, dansa)
• 소사 (疏食, sosa)
• 숙사 (宿食, suksa)
• 반소사 (飯疏食, bansosa)

Etymology 3

From Middle Chinese 食 (MC yiH).

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. [1]

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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. Template:han tu form of

Compounds

Compounds

• 食品 (thực phẩm)
• 飲食 (ẩm thực)
• 月食 (nguyệt thực)
• 日食 (nhật thực)

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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)