飲
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
drink |
| Strokes |
12 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
イン |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
の-む |
| Radical |
食 (U+98DF - eat/food) |
Stroke Order
The kanji 飲 follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right. It is composed of the "food" radical on the left and the phonetic component "欠" (yawn/lack) on the right.
- Stroke 1: Left-side dot (top of 食).
- Stroke 2: Horizontal line (top of 食).
- Stroke 3: Diagonal line (part of 食).
- Stroke 4: Hook (part of 食).
- Stroke 5: Horizontal line (part of 食).
- Stroke 6: Diagonal line (part of 食).
- Stroke 7: Horizontal line (bottom of 食).
- Stroke 8: Left-side diagonal (part of 欠).
- Stroke 9: Horizontal line (part of 欠).
- Stroke 10: Diagonal line (part of 欠).
- Stroke 11: Right-side sweeping stroke (part of 欠).
- Stroke 12: Dot (part of 欠).
Radical Analysis
The kanji 飲 is a phono-semantic compound.
- Left side (Radical): 食 (しょく - shoku): This radical represents "food" or "eating." Its presence indicates that the character relates to consumption.
- Right side: 欠 (けつ - ketsu): Originally depicting a person with an open mouth, it acts as a phonetic indicator (in older readings) and suggests the action of opening one's mouth to swallow or drink.
Mnemonic
Imagine a person sitting down to eat (食), but they are so thirsty that they have to open their mouth wide (欠) to gulp down a large glass of water. The "food" radical reminds you it's about consumption, and the "yawn/mouth" component shows the action of drinking.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
イン (in)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 飲料 |
いんりょう |
inryō |
beverage |
| 飲酒 |
いんしゅ |
inshu |
drinking alcohol |
| 飲食物 |
いんしょくぶつ |
inshokubutsu |
food and drink |
| 飲用 |
いんよう |
inyō |
drinking (for use) |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
の-む (no-mu)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 飲み物 |
のみもの |
nomimono |
drink/beverage |
| 飲み会 |
のみかい |
nomikai |
drinking party |
| 薬を飲む |
くすりをのむ |
kusuri o nomu |
to take medicine |
JLPT N5 Words Using 飲
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 飲む |
のむ |
nomu |
to drink |
N5 |
| 飲み物 |
のみもの |
nomimono |
drink/beverage |
N5 |
| 飲み会 |
のみかい |
nomikai |
drinking party |
N4 |
| 飲料水 |
いんりょうすい |
inryōsui |
drinking water |
N3 |
| 飲酒 |
いんしゅ |
inshu |
drinking alcohol |
N3 |
| 飲み屋 |
のみや |
nomiya |
bar/pub |
N4 |
| 飲み干す |
のみほす |
nomihosu |
to drink up |
N2 |
| 飲み込む |
のみこむ |
nomikomu |
to swallow |
N3 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 水を飲みます。 |
みずをのみます。 |
Mizu o nomimasu. |
I drink water. |
| 飲み物を買いましょう。 |
のみものをかいましょう。 |
Nomimono o kaimashō. |
Let's buy a drink. |
| 毎日、薬を飲みます。 |
まいにち、くすりをのみます。 |
Mainichi, kusuri o nomimasu. |
I take medicine every day. |
| 昨夜は飲み会でした。 |
さくやはのみかいでした。 |
Sakuya wa nomikai deshita. |
Last night was a drinking party. |
| 彼はビールを飲み過ぎた。 |
かれはびーるをのみすぎた。 |
Kare wa bīru o nomisugita. |
He drank too much beer. |
| この水は飲用できません。 |
このみずはいんようできません。 |
Kono mizu wa inyō dekimasen. |
This water is not for drinking. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 飲 |
のむ |
Drink |
Has the "food" (食) radical on the left. |
| 飯 |
はん |
Meal/Rice |
Has the "food" (食) radical, but the right side is 反 (han). |
| 欠 |
けつ |
Yawn/Lack |
This is the right-hand component of 飲; it stands alone as a separate kanji. |
Usage Frequency Note
飲 is a high-frequency kanji essential for daily life. It is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts. You will see it on signs (e.g., 飲料水 - drinking water), in menus, and in everyday conversation regarding meals and medicine. It is one of the first verbs a learner encounters.