飲
飲 in useful words
Learn the character in complete words, because its pronunciation can change with context. Read each word aloud, connect it with the meaning, and then cover the reading to test yourself.
- 飲むのむ
- to drink
- 飲み物のみもの
- drink; beverage
- 飲食いんしょく
- eating and drinking
Reading 飲 in context
飲む (のむ, to drink) uses の. 飲み物 (のみもの, drink or beverage) keeps that reading. 飲食 (いんしょく, eating and drinking) uses the on’yomi いん.
Try it in a sentence
Practice sentence written for this site.
水を飲みます。
みずを のみます。
I drink water.
Watch for this: The polite form is 飲みます (のみます), not のむます. Keep の as the reading of 飲 and learn how the verb ending changes.
Check yourself: Read 飲み物 and 飲食. Does 飲 sound the same?
飲み物: のみもの. 飲食: いんしょく.
飲み物 is built from the verb 飲む. 飲食 uses on’yomi. Group each reading with the word that uses it.
Choose your next practice
For reading, cover a word’s pronunciation and recall it before checking. For handwriting, hide the stroke diagram and write the character from memory. An isolated reading list is a reference; the word determines which sound you need.