Definitions

(onomatopoeia) sound of wind or rain
(particle) used in phonetic transcriptions

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound that combines the mouth radical , which hints at sounds, speech, or vocalization, with the phonetic component . In actual usage, it is almost entirely a phonetic borrowing, representing the syllable 'la' in loanwords and foreign transcriptions into Chinese. Its most common appearance is in 喇叭, the word for trumpet, horn, or loudspeaker, a meaning that matches well with the mouth radical's connection to sound. It also figures in 喇嘛 (lama), a Tibetan Buddhist monk, further demonstrating its role in transcribing religious terminology.

Example Sentences Hide

叭声音很大。

Lǎba shēngyīn hěn dà.

The speaker's volume is very loud.

嘛在寺庙里。

Lǎma zài sìmiào lǐ.

The lama is in the temple.

小孩流哈子了。

Xiǎohái liú hālázi le.

The child is drooling.

叭花很漂亮。

Lǎbahua hěn piàoliang.

The morning glory flowers are very beautiful.

他穿着叭裤。

Tā chuānzhe lǎbakù.

He is wearing bell-bottom pants.

叭坏了要修理。

Lǎba huài le yào xiūlǐ.

The speaker is broken and needs to be repaired.

嘛诵经声音低沉。

Lǎma sòngjīng shēngyīn dīchén.

The lama chants scriptures in a low voice.

子弄湿了枕头。

Hālázi nòngshī le zhěntou.

Drool made the pillow wet.