Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 飲 / 饮 | jam² |
| 呷 | haap³ |
The verb 飲 / 饮 is the general way to say consume liquid through the mouth. In casual conversation, people often use the colloquial phrase 飲嘢 to mean "to drink something" or "to drink stuff" without specifying the exact liquid. When referring to beverages as a noun, you can use 嘢飲 / 嘢饮, 飲品 / 饮品 or 飲料 / 饮料.
What does it mean word for word?
In the colloquial phrase 飲嘢, the character 嘢 means "thing" or "stuff".
Which one should you use?
While 飲 / 饮 is the general verb for drinking, 呷 specifically refers to the action of sipping or taking small sips of a liquid.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that the action of drinking has been completed, you can add the aspect particle 咗 after the verb, resulting in 飲咗.
How do you pronounce it?
jam²
When do people say it?
The phrase 飲茶 (jam² caa⁴) literally translates to "drink tea", but it is the standard term used to refer to the cultural practice of having dim sum for brunch.
Did you know?
- In traditional Cantonese culture, the act of 'drinking' during 飲茶 is accompanied by a gesture where you tap two fingers on the table to say 'thank you' for the tea poured.
- In Cantonese, the word for 'drink' 飲 is used in the phrase 飲湯, which refers to eating soup, even if the soup is thick and chunky.
- When someone says 飲嘢, the word 嘢 is a uniquely Cantonese term for 'thing', distinguishing the spoken language from Standard Chinese where 東西 is used.
Examples in context
- 我要飲杯咖啡。I want to drink a cup of coffee.
- 我同朋友一齊去飲嘢。I'm going to have a drink with friends.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “drink” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
