呛

嗆
qiāng, qiàng
仓 + 口
HSK 3.0Level 7
Frequency#3418

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', with its traditional form '嗆', combines the mouth radical (口) with the phonetic component '仓' in simplified and '倉' in traditional, both suggesting pronunciation. Etymologically, this structure points to actions or sounds originating from the mouth, with its initial meaning centered on the physical act of choking or throat irritation caused by substances like smoke or water. Over time, the semantic range extended to include verbal communication, specifically denoting a harsh or abrupt manner of speaking, thus connecting the physical reflex to a mode of expression.

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