Definitions

fēi (particle) (phonetic component in loanwords, especially 咖啡 kāfēi 'coffee')

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 啡 is a phono-semantic compound created for phonetic transcription. It combines the semantic radical 口 (kǒu, mouth) with the phonetic component 非 (fēi). The mouth radical typically denotes sounds, eating, or transliteration, while 非 provides the sound. This character is used almost exclusively in loanword compounds, most notably 咖啡 (kāfēi, coffee) and 吗啡 (mǎfēi, morphine), where its role is to represent a foreign phonetic element.

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢喝咖

Wǒ xǐhuān hē kāfēi.

I like to drink coffee.

这杯咖很热。

Zhè bēi kāfēi hěn rè.

This cup of coffee is hot.

他每天喝咖

Tā měitiān hē kāfēi.

He drinks coffee every day.

店在哪里?

Kāfēi diàn zài nǎlǐ?

Where is the coffee shop?

我买了一杯咖

Wǒ mǎile yī bēi kāfēi.

I bought a cup of coffee.

有助于提神。

Kāfēi yǒu zhùyú tíshén.

Coffee helps to refresh.

这种咖味道不错。

Zhè zhǒng kāfēi wèidào bùcuò.

This type of coffee tastes good.

馆里弥漫着咖香。

Kāfēi guǎn lǐ mímàn zhe kāfēi xiāng.

The café is filled with the aroma of coffee.