to smoke (a cigarette)
HSK level
抽烟 is written with 18 strokes (抽: 8, 烟: 10). The animation replays automatically.
抽烟 (chōuyān) is a separable verb-object phrase meaning 'to smoke (tobacco),' literally 'to draw/pull smoke' (抽 = to draw out, 烟 = smoke/cigarette).
It is the common colloquial way to talk about smoking cigarettes in daily speech. Because it is separable, you can split it: 抽一支烟 ('smoke one cigarette') or 抽根烟 (casual). Two differences from English: 'smoke' in English covers cigarettes, pipes, and even meat-smoking, but 抽烟 refers specifically to smoking tobacco through inhalation; and unlike the English intransitive 'to smoke,' 抽烟 already contains its object 烟, so 'do you smoke?'
is 你抽烟吗? The written or formal equivalent 吸烟 is preferred on official signs and in health contexts, while 抽烟 dominates casual conversation.
Note: 抽烟 is the everyday spoken term. In formal notices and signage, the more written 吸烟 appears, as in 禁止吸烟 ('No Smoking').
Character by character
Memory hook: You 'draw' (抽) the 'smoke' (烟) into your lungs — that's smoking.
你抽烟吗？
Nǐ chōuyān ma?
Do you smoke?
spoken
这里不能抽烟。
Zhèlǐ bù néng chōuyān.
You can't smoke here.
spoken
医生建议他别再抽烟了。
Yīshēng jiànyì tā bié zài chōuyān le.
The doctor advised him to stop smoking.
neutral
他出去抽了一支烟。
Tā chūqù chōu le yì zhī yān.
He went out and had a cigarette.
spoken
吸烟 is the formal/written equivalent, used on signs, in laws, and health messaging. 抽烟 is what people actually say in conversation. Same meaning, different register.
抽 alone means 'to draw out / pull' and has many uses (抽血 draw blood, 抽奖 draw a lottery). 抽烟 specifically means to smoke.
烟 alone is the noun 'smoke / cigarette.' 抽烟 is the action of smoking. 一包烟 = a pack of cigarettes; 抽烟 = to smoke.
Acquire it by listening
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 抽烟 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.
