eat, food
食 centers on taking in nourishment: eating and food itself. The meanings are tightly linked, with 'eat' as the action and 'food' as what is eaten.
食 is a pictograph of a food vessel with a lid. The top 亽 represents the lid, and the bottom 艮 represents the container holding food.
The top 亽 looks like a lid covering a container 艮 filled with food. Imagine lifting the lid to eat the food inside.
For ショク, picture a shock of flavor when you eat the food: shock -> ショク, and the delicious taste surprises you.
to eat
meal (e.g. lunch, dinner)
to eat
food; foodstuff
food; food products; foodstuffs
food
food and drink; eating and drinking
food
breakfast
dining room; dining hall; cafeteria; canteen; messroom
foodstuff; ingredient
evening meal; dinner
appetite (for food)
to eat; to drink; to wolf; to knock back
provision of lunch (e.g. at office, school, etc.); providing a meal; lunch service
food; foodstuff
lunch; midday meal
eating out; dining out
set meal; special (of the day)
meat eating; eating of meat; meat diet
food (esp. staple food such as rice or wheat); provisions; rations; food supply
tableware
dining table
eating habits; diet; dietary pattern
for use as food; edible
Japanese food; Japanese dish; Japanese cuisine
(loaf of) bread; bread in a rectangular shape
staple food
herbivorous; plant-eating; graminivorous
beggar
rot; decay; erosion
food expenses; money for food; charge for board
food poisoning
after a meal
encroachment; invasion; erosion (e.g. of market share, rights)
fasting; fast
sampling food; tasting; trying
eating together; dining together; having a meal together
esophagus; oesophagus; gullet
Western food; Western dish; Western cooking
meat (for consumption)
light meal; snack; refreshments
vegetable diet
to check; to hold back; to keep at bay; to stop; to prevent; to stem; to curb; to halt
solar eclipse
eating between meals; snacking
table salt
erosion; corrosion
to bite into (e.g. rope into skin); to cut into; to dig into (e.g. of fingernails)
difference; disagreement; conflict; clash; discrepancy; inconsistency
food, clothing and shelter; necessities of life
lunar eclipse
unbalanced diet
to not match well (e.g. at the seams); to not mesh properly (of gears)
provisions
eating until one is full; eating one's fill; gorging (on); satiation
to hang on to; to hang from; to cling to
health foods
frozen food
trying the food at various restaurants; eating tour
to overeat
food additive
foodstuff; groceries
law governing food quality
food agency
restaurant