水
shuǐ/ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴/
水 (shuǐ) is the Mandarin word for water.
Meaning: inorganic compound H₂O (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 水 | shuǐ | /ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ʂu̯əɻ²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 水兒 / 水儿) |
|
| 水 | chúi | /t͡sui⁴²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, Zhangpu, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) /t͡sui⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, Zhangpu, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
水 refers to the inorganic compound H₂O. You can use it to form common phrases such as 冰水 (bīng shuǐ) for iced water or 热水 (rè shuǐ) for hot water.
Which one should you use?
The form 水 is provided here with the Hokkien pronunciation chúi. In standard Mandarin, the pronunciation is shuǐ.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form фи is used in Dungan, while the form 水 with the pronunciation chúi is used in Hokkien.
Related words
When do people say it?
In Chinese culture, requesting or being offered 热水 (rè shuǐ) or hot water, is a common way to show care or to provide health benefits.
Did you know?
- The word 水 can be used colloquially to describe something that is 'watery' or low quality. For example, 'watering' an exam paper means adding useless content to make it look longer.
- In Chinese culture, the concept of 水 is associated with flexibility and wisdom. The phrase 上善若水 suggests that the highest good is like water, which benefits all things without competing.
- When written alongside other characters, the word 水 is often reduced to a three-stroke radical consisting of three dots: 氵.
Examples in context
- 水结成冰了。The water turned to ice.This sentence shows the state of 水 changing.Tatoeba #2241817 by sadhen, translation #270834 by CK
- 给我一杯水。Bring me a glass of water.This sentence is useful for requesting a glass of 水.Tatoeba #4885833 by gumblex, translation #250148 by CK
- 这水不能喝。This water cannot be drunk.This sentence is useful for indicating whether 水 is potable.Tatoeba #5550167 by verdastelo9604, translation #7768810 by sharris123
- 我想喝一杯水。I would like to have a glass of water.
- 请给我一瓶冰水。Please give me a bottle of iced water.
- 在这个炎热的天气里，喝水很重要。Drinking water is essential in this hot weather.
- 336 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie and Jiayi are in the kitchen.
- 俊杰 Junjie佳怡，请给我一点水。Jiāyí, qǐng gěi wǒ yīdiǎn shuǐ.Jiayi, please give me some water.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好的，你要冷水还是热水？Hǎo de, nǐ yào lěngshuǐ háishì rèshuǐ?Okay, do you want cold water or hot water?
- 俊杰 Junjie我要冷水，谢谢。Wǒ yào lěngshuǐ, xièxiè.I want cold water, thanks.
- 佳怡 Jiayi给你，在这儿。Gěi nǐ, zài zhè'er.Here you go, it's right here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water” translations and entries 水, 水, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
