呛

嗆
qiāng, qiàng
仓 + 口
HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

qiāng to choke (because of swallowing the wrong way)
qiàng to irritate the nose; to choke (of smoke, smell etc); pungent; (coll.) (Tw) to shout at sb; to scold; to speak out against sb

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 仓 represents the sound. Simplified form of 嗆.

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 仓

About

The character 呛 (qiāng), traditional form 嗆, is a phono-semantic compound describing the involuntary reflex of choking or coughing from inhaled irritants like liquid, smoke, or dust. Its left component is the semantic radical 口 (kǒu), meaning "mouth", which classifies it among oral actions and respiratory responses. The right component is 仓 (cāng, traditional 倉), meaning "storehouse", which provides the phonetic element. This structure effectively conveys the physical reaction to disruptions in breathing, such as when eating too quickly, swallowing water, or encountering strong fumes.

Example Sentences Hide

他被烟呛得咳嗽起来。

Tā bèi yān qiàng dé késou qǐlái.

He started coughing from being choked by the smoke.

这辣椒味真呛人。

Zhè làjiāo wèi zhēn qiàng rén.

The smell of these chili peppers is really pungent.

炒菜时油烟很呛。

Chǎocài shí yóuyān hěn qiàng.

The cooking fumes are very choking when stir-frying.

浓烟呛得我睁不开眼。

Nóng yān qiàng dé wǒ zhēng bù kāi yǎn.

The thick smoke choked me so much I couldn't open my eyes.

他被水呛到了。

Tā bèi shuǐ qiàng dào le.

He choked on water.

不要跑着吃东西，容易呛着。

Bùyào pǎozhe chī dōngxi, róngyì qiàngzhe.

Don't eat while running; you can easily choke.

他的发言被观众的嘘声呛了回去。

Tā de fāyán bèi guānzhòng de xūshēng qiàngle huíqù.

His speech was choked off by the audience's boos.

这种辛辣的批评呛得他哑口无言。

Zhè zhǒng xīnlà de pīpíng qiàng dé tā yǎkǒuwúyán.

This kind of acerbic criticism left him speechless.

Related Characters

Component: 仓

创 枪 抢 苍 舱 沧 疮 跄 瘪 怆 炝 伧 戗 鸧

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Example Words

呛到 够呛