Definitions

(noun) cackling sound

Etymology phono-semantic

mouth

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "嘎" is structured with the mouth radical 口 alongside the component 戛, which functions phonetically to guide its pronunciation. Etymologically, it emerged as an onomatopoeic representation for sounds such as a duck's quack or a sharp crack. Over time, its usage has consistently applied to similar abrupt or grating noises in various compound words, with the character's form remaining based on this sound-imitative principle.

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.