hek3喫
Jyutpinghek3
Yalehek
Definition
To eat, or to suffer and endure.
- to eat; to drink; to consume
- to suffer; to bear; to endure
datedfooddaily actions
How it's used
Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use 食 for the verb to eat, whereas 喫 is considered archaic or strictly literary. You will rarely see 喫 outside of classical texts or specific regional dialects outside of Hong Kong. Using 食 is essential for sounding natural in daily life.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners should avoid using 喫 in spoken Cantonese as it sounds unnatural and overly formal. Stick to 食 for all contexts involving eating or consuming.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
