sik6 jin1食煙食烟
Jyutpingsik6 jin1
Yalesihk yīn
Definition
To smoke cigarettes or tobacco.
colloquialdaily actionshealth
How it's used
Using 食煙 is the standard, neutral way to refer to smoking in daily life. While 吸煙 is understood, it sounds formal or clinical, often appearing on warning labels or in official health campaigns. The verb 食 is used here because smoking is treated as a consumption habit similar to eating or drinking.
Examples
Do you smoke?
He went outside to have a smoke.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using 吸煙 in casual conversation as it sounds like you are reading a government notice or a doctor's report. Stick to 食煙 to sound like a local.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
