喃

nán
南 + 口

Definitions

nán (verb) mumble; murmur

Etymology

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

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 南

About

The character 喃 is a phono-semantic compound, where the left-side radical 口 ('mouth') indicates that the meaning is connected to speech, vocalization, or sounds made by the mouth. The right-side component 南 ('south') functions purely as a phonetic marker, dictating the pronunciation. 喃 primarily refers to continuous, low murmuring or muttering, often at a volume that renders the speech difficult to decipher. The character commonly appears in the reduplicated form 喃喃, which stresses the repetitive, soft nature of the sound, like whispering or chattering, and underscores its ongoing, indistinct quality.

Example Sentences Hide

燕子呢喃飞过。

Yànzi nínán fēi guò.

The swallows flew by, chirping softly.

他在梦中低声呢喃。

Tā zài mèng zhōng dīshēng nínán.

He murmured softly in his dream.

她听着母亲的温柔呢喃。

Tā tīng zhe mǔqīn de wēnróu nínán.

She listened to her mother's gentle murmuring.

春风里充满了呢喃的鸟语。

Chūnfēng lǐ chōngmǎn le nínán de niǎoyǔ.

The spring breeze was full of the murmuring of birds.

老人独自在树下喃喃自语。

Lǎorén dúzì zài shù xià nánnán zì yǔ.

The old man muttered to himself under the tree.

他喃喃地重复着那几个字。

Tā nánnán de chóngfù zhe nà jǐ gè zì.

He kept muttering those few words over and over.

这本小说描写了南亚的喃字文化。

Zhè běn xiǎoshuō miáoxiě le Nányà de nánzì wénhuà.

This novel describes the Sanskrit-based script culture of South Asia.

佛殿中回荡着诵经的梵呗呢喃。

Fódiàn zhōng huídàng zhe sòngjīng de fànbài nínán.

The Buddha hall echoed with the murmuring chant of sutras.

Related Characters

Component: 南

献 楠 罱 蝻 腩 暔 湳 諵

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Example Words

呢喃 喃喃 喃喃自语 呋喃