How to Write 啡 (fēi) — Meaning “Coffee (morpheme)”

Imagine your mouth (口) saying "fee" (like the sound of 非) because ordering coffee always costs a fee. This connects the shape and sound to the meaning of coffee in 咖啡.

Write the left radical 口 first with three strokes, then the right part 非 with eight strokes. Pay attention to 非's symmetrical structure: the left and right halves should be balanced, and the vertical strokes must not be too close together.

啡 has the component 非 on the right, while 呲 has 此 (meaning "this") and 咠 has 耳 (meaning "ear"). 啡 is only used for coffee-related words, but 呲 means to show teeth or scold, and 咠 means to whisper or speak softly.

啡 appears almost exclusively in the borrowed word 咖啡 (kā fēi, coffee) and its compounds like 咖啡店 (café) and 喝咖啡 (to drink coffee). Coffee culture is growing in China, but 啡 never stands alone as a single character.

Common words containing 啡 include: 咖啡 (kā fēi) — coffee; 咖啡店 (kā fēi diàn) — coffee shop; café; 喝咖啡 (hē kā fēi) — To drink coffee.