嗷

áo

口 + 敖

Definitions

áo loud clamor; the sound of wailing

Etymology

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

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 敖

About

嗷 is an onomatopoeic character for loud, sustained sounds like wailing or distressed cries. It combines the semantic component 口 'mouth' for vocalizations with the phonetic component 敖, which gives the pronunciation áo. Often reduplicated as 嗷嗷, it vividly evokes continuous lamentation, intense hunger, or collective suffering, carrying strong associations with desperate, mournful vocal expressions.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

小狗嗷嗷叫。

Xiǎo gǔ áo áo jiào.

The puppy is yelping.

婴儿嗷嗷地哭。

Yīng'ér áo áo de kū.

The baby is crying loudly.

狼在夜里嗷嗷叫。

Láng zài yèlǐ áo áo jiào.

The wolf howls at night.

他疼得嗷嗷直叫。

Tā téng de áo áo zhí jiào.

He was howling in pain.

小猫饿了就嗷嗷叫。

Xiǎo māo èle jiù áo áo jiào.

The kitten meows loudly when hungry.

观众们嗷嗷地为球队加油。

Guānzhòng men áo áo de wèi qiúduì jiāyóu.

The audience cheers loudly for the team.

寒风中的乌鸦嗷嗷地哀鸣。

Hánfēng zhōng de wūyā áo áo de āimíng.

The crows in the cold wind are wailing mournfully.

听到这个消息，他激动得嗷嗷大叫。

Tīng dào zhège xiāoxi, tā jīdòng de áo áo dà jiào.

Upon hearing this news, he shouted excitedly.

Related Characters

Component: 口

Component: 敖