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唢 (suǒ) is the simplified form of the traditional character 嗩, a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 口 (kǒu) "mouth" indicates the blowing action involved, while the right side 𭕆 serves as the phonetic, giving the pronunciation suǒ and appearing also in 锁 (lock). The character was created to transcribe the foreign name of the suona, a double-reed woodwind instrument introduced from Central Asia or the Middle East. It rarely appears in isolation, occurring almost exclusively in the compound 唢呐 (suǒnà), which names that loud, high-pitched traditional instrument.
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