Definitions

(noun) cackling sound

Etymology phono-semantic

mouth

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "嘎" is structurally composed of the semantic component "口" (mouth), indicating its association with sound, and the phonetic component "戛", which itself conveys a sense of abrupt cessation or a clashing noise. Etymologically, it functions primarily as a phonetic loan character adopted to represent specific auditory phenomena, most notably serving as an onomatopoeic term for the sound of loud laughter or the creaking of objects. Over time, its application broadened from merely mimicking sounds to describing qualities of a voice that is loud, raucous, or harsh, and further extended metaphorically to characterize certain stubborn or eccentric personality traits, thus moving from a direct imitation of sound to a more abstract descriptive function.

Example Sentences Hide

小鸭子地叫。

Xiǎo yāzi gāgā de jiào.

The little duck quacks.

吱一声开了。

Mén gāzhī yīshēng kāi le.

The door creaked open.

地笑个不停。

Tā gāgā de xiào gè bù tíng.

He laughed incessantly with a cackle.

老旧的木桥走起来吱响。

Lǎo jiù de mù qiáo zǒu qǐlái gāzhī xiǎng.

The old wooden bridge creaks when walked on.

乌鸦地飞过天空。

Wūyā gāgā de fēi guò tiānkōng.

The crow cawed as it flew across the sky.

每当风吹过,那扇窗户就会吱作响。

Měi dāng fēng chuī guò, nà shàn chuānghu jiù huì gāzhī zuò xiǎng.

Whenever the wind blows, that window creaks.

他用力推门,门的一声开了,吓了我一跳。

Tā yònglì tuī mén, mén gā de yīshēng kāi le, xià le wǒ yītiào.

He pushed the door hard, and it creaked open, startling me.

在寂静的夜晚,远处传来的吱声令人毛骨悚然。

Zài jìjìng de yèwǎn, yuǎnchù chuán lái de gāzhī shēng lìng rén máo gǔ sǒngrán.

In the quiet night, the creaking sound from afar was horrifying.