食
chia̍h
The Hokkien verb for 'eat' is 食 (chia̍h).
The word 食 means 'to eat'. While it can be used on its own, it is very common to use the compound 食飯 to refer to the act of sitting down for a meal or eating food in general.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 食飯 literally means 'eat rice', but it is used more broadly to mean 'eat a meal'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form a question about whether someone has eaten, you can add 無 (bô) after the verb, as in 食無 (chia̍h bô?).
How do you pronounce it?
chia̍h
Did you know?
- In Hokkien culture, asking 食飯無 (have you eaten?) often functions as a general greeting similar to 'hello' rather than a literal inquiry about hunger.
- Hokkien uses 食 to describe the act of taking medicine, which is phrased as 'eating medicine' rather than 'taking medicine'.
- The verb 食 can describe experiencing something unpleasant. One might 食 a particular hardship or a piece of bad luck.
Examples in context
- 食。Eat.This sentence shows the verb 食 used as a command.Tatoeba #13228705 by tsunhua, translation #8108699 by haukie
- 食飯。Eat rice.This sentence shows the compound 食飯 used to mean eating a meal.Tatoeba #13255681 by tsunhua, translation #13112406 by LeviHighway
- 你有食飯無？Did you eat yet?This sentence demonstrates how to use 食 in a question about whether someone has eaten.Tatoeba #6401584 by RickShaw, translation #4783696 by ravas
Example conversation
Two friends are meeting at a food court.
- 家豪 Ka-hao美玲，你食著未？Bí-lêng, lí chia̍h-tio̍h-buē?Meiling, have you eaten yet?
- 美玲 Mei-ling我猶未食。Góa iáu-buē chia̍h.I haven't eaten yet.
- 家豪 Ka-hao咱去食面吧。Lán khì chia̍h-mì-pa.Let's go eat noodles.
- 美玲 Mei-ling好，走吧！Hó, tsáu-pa!Okay, let's go!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
