水
water
shuǐ
What does 水 mean?
水 (shuǐ) is the Chinese word for 'water' — the substance, drinking water, and water more broadly (rivers, lakes, rain). Unlike English, Chinese speakers always count water with a measure word: 一杯水 ('a glass of water'), 一瓶水 ('a bottle of water'), 一口水 ('a sip of water') — never *一水. Two useful distinctions for restaurants: 开水 (kāishuǐ) is 'boiled / hot drinking water,' the default beverage in many Chinese households; 冰水 (bīngshuǐ) is 'ice water,' which you may need to specifically request.
水 is also a productive component in compounds: 水果 (fruit, lit. 'water fruit'), 喝水 (drink water), 洗手水 (water for washing hands). The character 水 is one of the basic 部首
Character breakdown
water; liquid (pictograph of flowing water)
Memory hook: 水 is a pictograph — the central line is the river, the curves on each side are splashing droplets.
Measure word for 水
Example sentences
我想喝水。
Wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ.
I want to drink water.
spoken
请给我一杯水。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi shuǐ.
Please give me a glass of water.
spoken
这个水很热。
Zhège shuǐ hěn rè.
This water is very hot.
spoken
多喝水对身体好。
Duō hē shuǐ duì shēntǐ hǎo.
Drinking more water is good for your health.
neutral
Common phrases with 水
Don't confuse 水 with
FAQ
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