Definitions

háo to howl (like a wolf)
háo variant of 嗥[háo]
háo old variant of 嗥[háo]

Etymology phono-semantic

mouth

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a standard phono-semantic compound. The mouth radical on the left signals a connection to vocalizations or mouth actions, while the right component (gāo) serves purely as the phonetic, giving the character its pronunciation. Its primary meaning is howling, bellowing, or roaring, the loud, sustained, and often mournful cries of wild animals like wolves, dogs, or large beasts, which sets it apart from characters for human speech or bird chirping.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern