Chinese Character: 酒
1. Character Basics
Radical: 酉/yǒu (wine container)
Stroke Count: 10
Stroke Order:
2. Pronunciation
Pinyin: jiǔ (third tone)
3. Meaning
alcohol, wine, liquor, spirits
4. Common Words
- 白酒 (bái jiǔ) - Chinese white spirit
- 红酒 (hóng jiǔ) - red wine
- 啤酒 (pí jiǔ) - beer
- 酒精 (jiǔ jīng) - alcohol
- 酒吧 (jiǔ bā) - bar, pub
- 喝酒 (hē jiǔ) - drink alcohol
5. Grammar & Usage
As a noun: 酒 is primarily used as a noun, e.g., 我喜欢喝红酒 (I like to drink red wine)
Compound words: Often combined with other characters to form specific types of alcohol, e.g., 啤酒 (beer), 白酒 (white spirit)
In verb phrases: When combined with verbs like 喝 (drink), e.g., 喝酒 (drink alcohol)
Measure words: Common measure words include 杯 (bēi - glass), 瓶 (píng - bottle), 箱 (xiāng - case)
6. Cultural Background
Alcohol has a long history in Chinese culture, dating back over 5,000 years
白酒 (baijiu) is the most famous traditional Chinese alcohol, often used in important ceremonies
Drinking alcohol plays an important role in Chinese social interactions and business culture
In traditional Chinese medicine, some types of alcohol are believed to have health benefits
Chinese poetry and literature often reference alcohol as a source of inspiration
7. Example Sentence
Chinese: 我们今晚一起去酒吧喝一杯酒。
Pinyin: Wǒmen jīn wǎn yīqǐ qù jiǔbā hē yī bēi jiǔ.
Translation: Let's go to the bar and have a drink tonight.
8. Memory Tips
The character 酒 consists of the radical 酉 (yǒu) which means "wine container" and 氵 (water) on the left
Think of the left part (氵) as representing the liquid, and the right part (酉) as the container
The character has 10 strokes
Remember that 酒 (jiǔ) sounds similar to 九 (nine) and 久 (long time), but has a different meaning
You can associate 酒 with celebrations where people drink alcohol for a long time (久)