hǎohē: 好喝 - Delicious (for drinks), Good to drink

• Keywords: hǎohē, 好喝, delicious drink in Chinese, how to say good to drink, tasty drink Chinese, hǎo hē, hǎochī vs hǎohē, Chinese adjective for drinks, Mandarin for delicious
• Summary: In Mandarin Chinese, 好喝 (hǎohē) is the specific adjective used to describe a drink as “delicious” or “good to drink.” A fundamental word for beginners (HSK 1), it literally combines “good” (好) and “to drink” (喝). Unlike the English word “delicious,” 好喝 (hǎohē) is used exclusively for beverages like tea, juice, soup, or coffee, while its counterpart, 好吃 (hǎochī), is used for solid food.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): hǎo hē
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: Good to drink; delicious (used exclusively for beverages).
• In a Nutshell: 好喝 (hǎohē) is a simple and essential compound word that every Mandarin learner needs. It's the go-to term for complimenting any kind of drink, from water to wine. The logic is beautifully straightforward: if something is “good to drink,” it's 好喝 (hǎohē). This specificity is a key feature of Chinese, forcing you to consider whether you are eating or drinking what you describe.

• 好 (hǎo): This character means “good,” “well,” or “fine.” Pictorially, it's a combination of a woman (女) and a child (子), which together traditionally represented something good, complete, or desirable.
• 喝 (hē): This character means “to drink.” The radical on the left is the “mouth radical” (口), indicating an action done with the mouth. The right side provides the phonetic sound.
• When combined, 好喝 (hǎohē) literally translates to “good to drink,” which is precisely its meaning. This logical structure is common in Chinese and makes many words intuitive once you know the component characters.

While 好喝 (hǎohē) is a simple descriptive word, its usage is tied to the cultural importance of hospitality and social harmony in China. Sharing a drink—especially tea—is a fundamental social ritual. Complimenting a host's tea or a restaurant's soup with a simple “很好喝! (hěn hǎohē!)” is a basic but significant act of politeness and appreciation. The key cultural-linguistic difference for English speakers is the strict separation between describing food and drinks. In English, you can say “This soup is delicious” and “This cake is delicious.” In Chinese, this is a mistake. The soup is 好喝 (hǎohē) because you drink it, and the cake is 好吃 (hǎochī) because you eat it. This distinction reflects a feature of the Chinese language that often pairs specific verbs with specific nouns, creating highly logical and context-dependent adjectives. Learning this rule is a crucial first step in thinking more like a native speaker.

好喝 (hǎohē) is an extremely common, everyday word used in informal settings. You will hear it constantly in homes, restaurants, milk tea shops, and bars.

• Giving Compliments: It's the most natural way to praise a beverage. If someone pours you tea, a simple “好喝!” is a perfect response.
• Asking for Opinions: You can ask someone if their drink is good by saying “好喝吗? (hǎohē ma?)”
• Making Recommendations: You might tell a friend, “Their bubble tea is really 好喝.”
• Connotation: The term is almost always positive and informal. In very formal or literary contexts, one might use a more sophisticated word like 美味 (měiwèi) or 可口 (kěkǒu), but 好喝 (hǎohē) is what you'll use 99% of the time in conversation.

• Example 1:
  • 这杯珍珠奶茶很好喝。
  • Pinyin: Zhè bēi zhēnzhū nǎichá hěn hǎohē.
  • English: This cup of bubble tea is very delicious.
  • Analysis: A simple, declarative sentence. 很 (hěn) is often used to link a noun to an adjective and means “very,” but here it functions more like the verb “is.”
• Example 2:
  • 你妈妈做的汤好喝吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ māma zuò de tāng hǎohē ma?
  • English: Is the soup your mom made delicious?
  • Analysis: This shows 好喝 used in a question with the question particle 吗 (ma). Notice soup (汤 tāng) takes 好喝, not 好吃 (hǎochī).
• Example 3:
  • 我觉得咖啡比茶更好喝。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ juéde kāfēi bǐ chá gèng hǎohē.
  • English: I think coffee is even more delicious than tea.
  • Analysis: This example uses the 比 (bǐ) structure for comparison. 更 (gèng) means “even more.”
• Example 4:
  • 这家店的果汁一点儿也不好喝。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiā diàn de guǒzhī yīdiǎnr yě bù hǎohē.
  • English: The juice from this shop isn't delicious at all.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the negative form. 一点儿也/都 (yīdiǎnr yě/dōu bù) is a common pattern meaning “not at all.”
• Example 5:
  • 哇，这个西瓜汁太好喝了！
  • Pinyin: Wā, zhège xīguā zhī tài hǎohē le!
  • English: Wow, this watermelon juice is so delicious!
  • Analysis: The 太…了 (tài…le) structure is used for emphasis, similar to “so” or “too” in English. It conveys a strong, positive emotion.
• Example 6:
  • 你喝过这个牌子的啤酒吗？挺好喝的。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ hē guo zhège páizi de píjiǔ ma? Tǐng hǎohē de.
  • English: Have you ever had this brand of beer? It's pretty good.
  • Analysis: 挺…的 (tǐng…de) is a colloquial way to say “quite” or “pretty.” It's a slightly softer affirmation than 很 (hěn).
• Example 7:
  • 这么好喝的酸奶，你想不想尝尝？
  • Pinyin: Zhème hǎohē de suānnǎi, nǐ xiǎng bùxiǎng chángchang?
  • English: This yogurt is so delicious, don't you want to have a taste?
  • Analysis: Here, 好喝的 functions as an adjectival phrase modifying the noun 酸奶 (suānnǎi - yogurt).
• Example 8:
  • 老板，再来一杯！你的米酒真好喝！
  • Pinyin: Lǎobǎn, zài lái yī bēi! Nǐ de mǐjiǔ zhēn hǎohē!
  • English: Boss, another glass! Your rice wine is really delicious!
  • Analysis: A classic scenario in a small eatery. 真 (zhēn) means “really” and adds genuine enthusiasm to the compliment.
• Example 9:
  • 为了健康，我只喝不怎么好喝的蔬菜汁。
  • Pinyin: Wèile jiànkāng, wǒ zhǐ hē bù zěnme hǎohē de shūcài zhī.
  • English: For my health, I only drink vegetable juice that doesn't taste very good.
  • Analysis: 不怎么 (bù zěnme) is a casual way to say “not very” or “not really,” expressing mild negativity.
• Example 10:
  • 这瓶红酒闻起来香，喝起来也好喝。
  • Pinyin: Zhè píng hóngjiǔ wén qǐlái xiāng, hē qǐlái yě hǎohē.
  • English: This bottle of red wine smells fragrant, and it tastes good too.
  • Analysis: The `[verb] + 起来 (qǐlái)` structure describes the impression one gets from performing the action. 喝起来 (hē qǐlái) means “when you drink it” or “tastes like.”

The single most common mistake for English-speaking learners is confusing 好喝 (hǎohē) with 好吃 (hǎochī).

• Rule: Use 好喝 (hǎohē) for liquids you drink. Use 好吃 (hǎochī) for solids you eat.
• Incorrect Usage (Drink):
  • 这个茶很好吃。 (Zhège chá hěn hǎochī.) ←- WRONG. Tea is a liquid.
  • Correct: 这个茶很好喝。 (Zhège chá hěn hǎohē.)
• Incorrect Usage (Food):
  • 这个饺子很好喝。 (Zhège jiǎozi hěn hǎohē.) ←- WRONG. Dumplings are solid food.
  • Correct: 这个饺子很好吃。 (Zhège jiǎozi hěn hǎochī.)
• The Gray Area: Soups: Soups (汤, tāng) are always considered drinks in this context. Even a thick stew with lots of vegetables is described with 好喝. The primary action associated with it is drinking the liquid.
• The Gray Area: Porridge/Congee (粥, zhōu): This is a tricky one. Because it can be very liquidy or quite thick, you might hear native speakers use either 好喝 or 好吃. However, as a learner, it's safest to stick to the primary rule: if you mainly drink it, use 好喝. If you mainly chew it, use 好吃.

• 好吃 (hǎochī) - The direct counterpart to 好喝; means “delicious” or “good to eat” and is used exclusively for solid food.
• 好看 (hǎokàn) - Follows the same `好 + Verb` structure. It means “good to look at,” i.e., “beautiful” or “good-looking.”
• 好听 (hǎotīng) - “Good to listen to.” Used to describe music, a voice, or a sound as being pleasant or beautiful.
• 难喝 (nánhē) - The direct antonym of 好喝. It means “bad-tasting” or “unpleasant to drink” (literally “difficult to drink”).
• 难吃 (nánchī) - The direct antonym of 好吃. It means “bad-tasting” (for food).
• 美味 (měiwèi) - A more formal or written term for “delicious” or “tasty.” It can be used for both food and drinks.
• 可口 (kěkǒu) - “Tasty” or “palatable.” Literally “able to mouth.” It is slightly more formal than 好喝/好吃 and can also be used for both food and drink.
• 饮料 (yǐnliào) - The noun for “beverage” or “drink.” This is the category of things that can be described as 好喝.
• 汤 (tāng) - Soup. One of the most common things described as 好喝.