The kanji 喫 generally conveys the idea of "to eat," "to drink," or "to consume" something, often in relation to food or beverages. It implies the act of taking something into the mouth and swallowing it. It can also extend to the concept of consuming time or absorbing something.

・On-yomi (音読み): キツ (kitsu) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, or used as a component in a compound with a more specific meaning.

⚫︎喫茶店 Translation: Coffee shop; café ⚫︎喫煙 Translation: Smoking ⚫︎喫水 Translation: Draft (of a ship)

The kanji 喫 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). ⚫︎ The phonetic component is 契 (kei, meaning "agreement," "contract," or "to bind") which provides the sound. ⚫︎ The semantic component is 口 (kuchi, meaning "mouth"). ⚫︎ Combining these components, 喫 suggests the action of taking something into the mouth as an agreed act, thus, "to eat" or "to drink." The development of this kanji reflects the evolution of eating and drinking practices in ancient China.