je5 sik6嘢食

Jyutpingje5 sik6

Yaleyéh sihk

名詞

Definition

Food or things to eat, typically excluding drinks.

colloquialfood

How it's used

Distinguishing between 嘢食 and 嘢飲 is a fundamental part of daily life in Hong Kong. While 嘢食 refers specifically to solid food, it is common to use the word 嘢 to cover both categories when the context is clear, such as asking someone if they want to go grab a bite. It carries a casual, everyday tone that makes it more natural than using the formal 食物 in conversation.

Measure word

di1啲dī

Examples

nei5你tou5肚ngo6餓mei6未aa4呀？maai5買di1啲je5嘢sik6食faan1返lai4嚟laa1啦。

Are you hungry yet? Let's buy some food to bring back.

nei1呢dou6度di1啲je5嘢sik6食hou2好gwai3貴，ngo5我dei6哋heoi3去dai6第ji6二dou6度sik6食。

The food here is very expensive, let's go eat somewhere else.

Common phrases

maai5買je5嘢sik6食

buy food

wan2搵je5嘢sik6食

look for food

Common mistake

Avoid using 嘢食 to refer to drinks, as that is strictly reserved for 嘢飲. Also, note that 嘢食 is a noun phrase, so you should not use it as a verb; use 食嘢 instead when you want to say 'to eat'.