咕

gū
口 + 古

Definitions

gū (onomatopoeia) (onom.) sound of bird; rumbling stomach

Etymology

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

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 古

About

咕 is a phono-semantic compound: the mouth radical 口 on the left conveys the meaning of sound and vocalization, while 古 on the right indicates the pronunciation. The character serves primarily as an onomatopoeia for low, rumbling, or bubbling sounds made by humans, animals, or objects. It commonly transcribes the clucking of poultry, the cooing of pigeons, the rumbling of an empty stomach, or indistinct muttering.

Example Sentences Hide

我的肚子咕咕叫。

Wǒ de dùzi gūgū jiào.

My stomach is growling.

他咕咚一声跳进水里。

Tā gūdōng yī shēng tiào jìn shuǐ lǐ.

He jumped into the water with a splash.

小猫把球咕噜噜推走了。

Xiǎo māo bǎ qiú gūlūlū tuī zǒu le.

The kitten pushed the ball away, making it roll.

她独自在角落里咕哝着什么。

Tā dúzì zài jiǎoluò lǐ gūnóng zhe shénme.

She was muttering something to herself in the corner.

他听见奇怪的咕噜声从管道传来。

Tā tīngjiàn qíguài de gūlū shēng cóng guǎndào chuán lái.

He heard a strange gurgling sound coming from the pipe.

鸽子在屋顶上不停地咕咕叫着。

Gēzi zài wūdǐng shàng bùtíng de gūgū jiàozhe.

The pigeons kept cooing incessantly on the roof.

他紧张地嘀咕着，不敢大声说话。

Tā jǐnzhāng de dígu zhe, bù gǎn dàshēng shuōhuà.

He whispered nervously, not daring to speak loudly.

古老的木门被推开时发出咕吱的响声。

Gǔlǎo de mùmén bèi tuīkāi shí fāchū gūzhī de xiǎngshēng.

The old wooden door made a creaking sound when pushed open.

Related Characters

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Component: 古

克 故 苦 居 胡 固 姑 估 枯 辜 沽 骷 轱 钴

Example Words

咕噜 嘀咕 咕咚 犯嘀咕 咕咕叫 咕咾肉 咕哝 叽哩咕噜 叽叽咕咕 叽里咕噜 黑咕隆咚