Definitions

(verb) toot; honk
(verb) to pout

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character (dū) is a relatively modern phonosemantic compound, with the mouth radical (kǒu) on the left indicating a connection to sounds, vocalizations, or mouth actions, and (dū) on the right serving purely as a phonetic component that gives the pronunciation and contributes no meaning related to cities or capitals. It is primarily an onomatopoeic word representing a variety of continuous, low-pitched sounds, like the honking of a car horn, the ringing of a telephone, or the tooting of a whistle. The character is also commonly used to describe pouting, pushing the lips outward, as an expression of mild displeasure or childish annoyance.

Example Sentences Hide

汽车的喇叭响。

Qìchē de lǎba dū dū xiǎng.

The car's horn beeps.

火车地开走了。

Huǒchē dū dū de kāi zǒu le.

The train chugged away.

囔了几句。

Tā dūnāng le jǐ jù.

He mumbled a few words.

小孩着嘴不高兴。

Xiǎohái dū zhe zuǐ bù gāoxìng.

The child pouted unhappily.

电话里传来的声音。

Diànhuà lǐ chuán lái dū dū de shēngyīn.

A beeping sound came from the phone.

着嘴巴表示不满。

Tā dū zhe zuǐba biǎoshì bùmǎn.

She pouted to show her dissatisfaction.

轮船的汽笛地鸣叫着。

Lúnchuán de qìdí dū dū de míngjiào zhe.

The ship's whistle was tooting.

他一边囔一边收拾东西。

Tā yībiān dūnāng yībiān shōushí dōngxī.

He mumbled while packing his things.