How to Write 啤 (pí) — Meaning “Beer (morpheme)”

Imagine the left side 口 as a beer mug, and the right side 卑 looks like a person bending down humbly to take a sip. The sound pí can remind you of the happy "pee" sound when opening a beer bottle.

Write the left radical 口 (3 strokes) first, then the right part 卑 (8 strokes). A common mistake is making the 口 too large or forgetting the small dot at the top of 卑 — the top is written as a short left-falling stroke, a horizontal, then a vertical, similar to writing 白 but with an extra stroke.

While 啤 uses 口 plus 卑 and means beer, 呲 uses 口 plus 此 (cǐ) and means to show teeth or grin, and 咠 uses 口 plus 耳 (ear) and means to whisper. Visually, the right sides are different: 卑, 此, and 耳 have distinct shapes and do not share meanings with 啤.

啤 is almost always used in the word 啤酒 (pí jiǔ, beer) and related terms like 扎啤 (draft beer) and 啤酒杯 (beer glass). In China, beer is a popular social drink, and you will see 啤 on menus, in stores, and at gatherings, especially for well-known brands like 青岛啤酒 (Tsingtao beer).

Common words containing 啤 include: 啤酒 (pí jiǔ) — Beer; 扎啤 (zhā pí) — Draft beer.; 啤酒杯 (pí jiǔ bēi) — Beer mug; beer glass.