啪

pā
口 + 拍

Definitions

pā (onomatopoeia) (onom.) bang; pop; pow

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 拍 represents the sound.

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 拍

About

啪 is a phono-semantic compound: 口 (mouth) marks the character as sound-related, while 拍 (to clap, strike) supplies the pronunciation and also hints at the sharp, percussive nature of the noise. The graph was coined to imitate sudden cracking or slapping sounds, like a slap, a whip crack, a gunshot, or an object hitting a hard surface. Functioning almost entirely as an onomatopoeic word, it appears in contexts where sound replication is needed. The combination of the mouth radical with a striking action neatly captures the crisp auditory burst it represents.

Example Sentences Hide

他啪地关上了门。

Tā pā de guān shàng le mén.

He slammed the door with a bang.

灯泡啪的一声碎了。

Dēngpào pā de yī shēng suì le.

The light bulb shattered with a pop.

雨点啪嗒啪嗒地打在窗户上。

Yǔdiǎn pādā pādā de dǎ zài chuānghu shàng.

Raindrops pattered against the window.

他生气地啪了一下桌子。

Tā shēngqì de pā le yīxià zhuōzi.

He angrily slapped the table.

树枝啪嚓一声断成了两截。

Shùzhī pāchā yī shēng duàn chéng le liǎng jié.

The branch broke into two pieces with a crack.

导演啪地拍了一下手，示意开始。

Dǎoyǎn pā de pāi le yīxià shǒu, shìyì kāishǐ.

The director clapped his hands with a snap, signaling to start.

她啪地合上了书本，站了起来。

Tā pā de hé shàng le shūběn, zhàn le qǐlái.

She closed the book with a snap and stood up.

爆竹在夜空中啪啦啪啦地响个不停。

Bàozhú zài yèkōng zhōng pālā pālā de xiǎng gè bù tíng.

Firecrackers crackled incessantly in the night sky.

Related Characters

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Example Words

噼里啪啦 劈里啪啦 啪啪啪 劈啪 啪哒 啪嚓 噼啪