囔

nāng
口 + 囊

Definitions

nāng muttering, indistinct speech

Etymology phono-semantic

mouth

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 囊

About

囔 is a phono-semantic compound that pairs the mouth radical 口, indicating an action related to speech or vocalization, with the phonetic component 囊 (náng, meaning 'bag' or 'pocket'), which supplies the sound. It denotes the act of muttering or mumbling in a low, indistinct voice, typically with an undertone of complaint or as self-directed speech. The character appears most frequently in the compound 嘟囔 (dūnang), referring to a kind of continuous, mildly irritated murmuring of indistinct words under one's breath.

Example Sentences Hide

别囔囔了。

Bié nāngnang le.

Stop mumbling.

他在嘟囔着什么。

Tā zài dūnāng zhe shénme.

He is muttering something.

孩子嘟囔着不愿起床。

Háizi dūnāng zhe bù yuàn qǐchuáng.

The child grumbled, unwilling to get up.

她嘟囔了一句抱怨的话。

Tā dūnāng le yī jù bàoyuàn de huà.

She muttered a word of complaint.

老人嘴里总是囔囔个不停。

Lǎorén zuǐ lǐ zǒng shì nāngnang gè bù tíng.

The old man is always mumbling nonstop.

他囔囔着没人理解他的苦衷。

Tā nāngnang zhe méi rén lǐjiě tā de kǔzhōng.

He kept grumbling that no one understood his difficulties.

哪怕你囔囔得再大声，也解决不了问题。

Nǎpà nǐ nāngnang de zài dàshēng, yě jiějué bù liǎo wèntí.

Even if you grumble louder, it won't solve the problem.

他显然不满意，一路都在囔囔着对决定的质疑。

Tā xiǎnrán bù mǎnyì, yīlù dōu zài nāngnang zhe duì juédìng de zhìyí.

He was clearly unhappy and muttered his doubts about the decision all the way.

Related Characters

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Component: 囊

馕 攮 灢 饢 齉

Example Words

嘟囔 囔囔