吸
xī · HSK 4
draw to oneself
🥤 吸 = 口 (mouth) + 及 (reach) — mouth reaching out to draw something in
The radical 口 marks it as a mouth action; 及 (jí) also lends the phonetic cue close to xī. Used in 吸收 (absorb) and 呼吸 (breathe in/out) — anything pulled inward through an opening.
吸 — mouth radical 口 + reach 及 (phonetic)
吸 is a phono-semantic compound. The mouth radical 口 signals the meaning—an action done with the mouth—while 及 (jí) hints at the original sound. It depicts drawing air or liquid in through the mouth, giving the modern senses 'inhale, suck, absorb'.