吃
吃 (chī) means “to eat”. It is made of 口 + 乞 and has 6 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 吃 into its parts
What 吃 is made of
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 乞 qǐ — to beg
- 乙 yǐ — second
Origin hint: 口 gives the meaning, 乞 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
吃 stroke order
Example sentences
我们吃什么？Wǒmen chī shénme?What shall we eat?
小猫在吃肉。Xiǎo māo zài chī ròu.The kitten is eating meat.
Words with 吃
- 吃饭chīfànto eat a meal
- 好吃hǎochīdelicious
- 吃惊chījīngsurprised
- 小吃xiǎochīsnack
- 吃亏chīkuīto lose out
- 吃苦chīkǔto endure hardship
- 吃力chīlìstrenuous
Also built with 口
- 中zhōngmiddle
- 享xiǎngto share
- 京jīngcapital
- 亮liàngbright
- 兄xiōngelder brother
- 加jiāto add
- 占zhànto occupy
- 古gǔancient
- 句jùmeasure word for sentences
- 另lìnganother
- 叨dāotalkative
- 只zhǐonly
Quick facts
| Pinyin | chī |
|---|---|
| Meaning | to eat |
| Strokes | 6 |
| Radical | 口 (mouth, #30) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 1 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) · Old HSK 1 |
Questions about 吃
What does 吃 mean?
吃 (chī) means “to eat”.
How many strokes does 吃 have?
吃 has 6 strokes.
What is the radical of 吃?
The radical of 吃 is 口 (kǒu, “mouth”), Kangxi radical number 30.
What parts make up 吃?
吃 is made of 口 (mouth) and 乞 (to beg).
Which HSK level is 吃?
吃 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021) and Old HSK 1.
Learn 吃 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 4: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.