吸管
xī guǎn · HSK 4
straw
🥤 吸管 = suck (吸) + tube (管); the tube you suck through
吸 means to inhale or suck in, and 管 means tube or pipe. Together they name any thin tube you draw liquid through: a drinking straw, a lab pipette, an eyedropper, or a snorkel.
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'.
管 — bamboo radical 竹 + official 官 (phonetic)
Originally a pictograph of a bamboo tube or pipe, written with the bamboo radical 竹 on top. The lower component 官 supplies the sound. From 'bamboo pipe' it extended to 'tube,' then to 'manage' or 'control' — since pipes channel and regulate flow, the meaning shifted toward administration.