汽水
qìshuǐ
The Mandarin word for soda is 汽水 (qìshuǐ).
汽水 is used to refer to a sweet, carbonated drink. You may also encounter the term 碳酸 (tànsuān), which specifically means carbonic acid or the term 碳酸饮料 (tànsuān yǐnliào) when referring to carbonated drinks in a more technical or formal context.
Meaning: sweet, carbonated drink (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 汽水 is composed of 汽 (gas/steam) and 水 (water), literally translating to "gas water".
Which one should you use?
While 汽水 is a general term for carbonated soft drinks, 可乐 (kělè) specifically refers to cola. The latter is a loanword derived from the English word cola.
How do you pronounce it?
qìshuǐ
Did you know?
- The word 汽 in 汽水 is the same character used for 'gasoline' (汽油, qìyóu), creating a linguistic connection between 'gas water' and 'gas oil'.
- In certain regions, the term 汽水 is used so broadly that it can refer to any bottled soft drink, even if the beverage has no carbonation at all.
- At a high-end business banquet, calling a drink 汽水 may be perceived as too casual or 'street-level' for the setting.
Examples in context
- 我好想喝汽水。I would like to drink some soda.This sentence shows how to express a desire to drink 汽水.Tatoeba #10041155 by GlossaMatik, translation #10041404 by JumJum
- 誰把汽水灑了？Who spilled the soda?This sentence asks who spilled the 汽水.Tatoeba #13549600 by LeviHighway, translation #9486833 by DJ_Saidez
- 這汽水太甜了。The soda is too sweet.This sentence describes the sweetness of the 汽水.Tatoeba #13549603 by LeviHighway, translation #12849631 by Teangloir
- 你有没有碳酸饮料？Do you have any soda?
- 你想要喝一瓶汽水吗？Do you want to drink a bottle of soda?
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a convenience store, Wei and Yuting are choosing drinks.
- 伟 Wei你想喝可樂還是汽水？Nǐ xiǎng hē kělè háishì qìshuǐ?Do you want to drink cola or soda?
- 雨婷 Yuting我想要汽水。Wǒ xiǎng yào qìshuǐ.I want soda.
- 伟 Wei妳喜歡哪種汽水？Nǐ xǐhuān nǎ zhǒng qìshuǐ?What kind of soda do you like?
- 雨婷 Yuting任何汽水都可以。Rènhé qìshuǐ dōu kěyǐ.Any soda is fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soda” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
