Wo ke le (我渴了): I'm thirsty in Chinese

我渴了

wǒ kě le

I'm thirsty

Character breakdown

我

I, me

wǒ

渴

thirsty

kě

了

marks a change of state

Grammar and structure

'我' means I, '渴' means thirsty, and '了' marks a change of state, so it means 'I've become thirsty'.

Variations and politeness

我口渴

wǒ kǒu kě

My mouth is dry. — More colloquial, focusing on the dry mouth feeling.

我想喝水

wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ

I want to drink water. — More polite and specific about wanting water.

Mini dialogue

我渴了

wǒ kě le

I'm thirsty.

你想喝什么？

nǐ xiǎng hē shénme?

What do you want to drink?

When to use it

Appropriate

When you feel thirsty and want to express it casually.
When you are with friends or family and want to suggest getting a drink.
When you want to state a change of state: you have become thirsty.

Avoid when

In formal settings; use '我有点渴' (I'm a bit thirsty) to be more polite.
When you want to request a specific drink; instead say '我想喝水' (I want to drink water).

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I'm thirsty' in Chinese?

You say '我渴了' (wǒ kě le). It literally means 'I have become thirsty'.

How do you pronounce '我渴了'?

It is pronounced 'wǒ kě le'. The third tone on 'wǒ' and 'kě' falls then rises, and 'le' is neutral.

When do you use '我渴了'?

Use it in casual situations when you feel thirsty and want to suggest getting a drink. In formal settings, say '我有点渴' (wǒ yǒudiǎn kě) to be more polite.