n.
breakfast
早饭
breakfast
Breakfast or morning meal (早 morning + 饭 meal/rice); say 吃早饭 (eat breakfast).
Common Usage & Traps
- 吃早饭 — eat breakfast
- 做早饭 — make breakfast
- 买早饭 — buy breakfast
- 早饭时间 — breakfast time
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喝早饭吃早饭喝 is for drinks like coffee or tea. 早饭 is a meal, so you 吃 it.
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早上饭早饭早上 is a time word, not part of the meal name. The meal is 早饭.
Can you say 喝早饭 if you only drink coffee?
No. 吃 is for meals, 喝 is for drinks. Coffee alone doesn't count as 吃早饭.
Chinese uses 吃 for meals like 早饭, 午饭, and 晚饭. Use 喝 only for drinks like water, tea, or coffee. If you only have a coffee, you can say 我没吃早饭，只喝了杯咖啡. You never say 喝早饭 because 早饭 is a meal, not a drink.
“早上六点半，起床吃早饭。” (At 6:30 in the morning, I get up and eat breakfast.)
“早上六点半，起床吃早饭。” (At 6:30 in the morning, I get up and eat breakfast.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Verb for breakfast | 吃早饭 | 喝早饭 |
| Only coffee | 没吃早饭，只喝了咖啡 | 喝早饭 |
| Meal vs drink | 早饭是饭，咖啡是饮料 | 早饭是饮料 |
Is 早上 the same as 早饭?
No. 早上 is the morning; 早饭 is the morning meal.
早上 means the early part of the day. 早饭 means the meal you eat in the morning. You can put them together: 早上吃早饭. But you can't say 早饭吃早上. One is a time word, the other is a food word.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | 早上 = morning | 早饭 = morning |
| Together | 早上吃早饭 | 早饭吃早上 |
| Word type | time word | meal word |
Appears in Stories 2 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Step through a full day—from morning routines to bedtime—and pick up practical phrases for telling time and talking about your own schedule with a typical Chinese rhyme.
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早上六点半，起床吃 早饭 。
Welcome! This short poem helps you practice the months, weekdays, and mealtimes in Chinese. Read it aloud and notice the rhythm. You already know many of these words!
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早上吃 早饭 ，上午喝早茶，中午吃午饭。
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