How to Write 吃 (chī) — Meaning “to eat”

Picture a hungry person whose mouth (口) is begging (乞) for food — that action is eating. So you can remember 吃 as "mouth begging for food." This visual link between the two components makes the meaning easy to recall.

Write the left radical 口 first (3 strokes: vertical, horizontal bend, horizontal), then the right part 乞 (3 strokes: left-falling, horizontal, horizontal bend with hook). Keep the 口 small and left-aligned, and make sure the hook at the end of 乞 curves gently. A common mistake is writing the 口 too large or making the hook too sharp.

吃 is one of the most common verbs in daily Chinese, used for eating meals or foods, like 吃饭 (chī fàn, to eat a meal) and 好吃 (hǎo chī, delicious). Culturally, the greeting "你吃了吗?" (Have you eaten?) is a friendly way to show care, similar to saying "How are you?" in English. Also, 小吃 (xiǎo chī) refers to popular street snacks.

Common words containing 吃 include: 吃饭 (chī fàn) — to eat a meal; 好吃 (hǎo chī) — delicious; tasty; 小吃 (xiǎo chī) — snack / local specialty food.