嘎

嘠
gā, gá, gǎ
口 + 戛

Definitions

gá (noun) cackling sound

Etymology phono-semantic

mouth

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 戛

About

The character 嘎 (gā) is a phono-semantic compound made up of the mouth radical 口 (kǒu) on the left, indicating a connection to vocalizations and sounds, and the component 戛 (jiá) on the right, which acts as its phonetic guide. It is primarily an onomatopoeic word used to mimic sharp, sudden, or repetitive sounds, such as a duck's quack, a crow's harsh caw, or the high-pitched creak of a poorly oiled door hinge. In compound words, it describes actions or states that come to an abrupt, complete halt, reflecting a semantic shift from a sudden sound to a sudden stop.

Example Sentences Hide

小鸭子嘎嘎地叫。

Xiǎo yāzi gāgā de jiào.

The little duck quacks.

门嘎吱一声开了。

Mén gāzhī yīshēng kāi le.

The door creaked open.

他嘎嘎地笑个不停。

Tā gāgā de xiào gè bù tíng.

He laughed incessantly with a cackle.

老旧的木桥走起来嘎吱响。

Lǎo jiù de mù qiáo zǒu qǐlái gāzhī xiǎng.

The old wooden bridge creaks when walked on.

乌鸦嘎嘎地飞过天空。

Wūyā gāgā de fēi guò tiānkōng.

The crow cawed as it flew across the sky.

每当风吹过，那扇窗户就会嘎吱作响。

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，门嘎的一声开了，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，远处传来的嘎吱声令人毛骨悚然。

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.

Related Characters

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Example Words

嘎嘎 嘎啦 偶买嘎 哦买嘎 嘎吱 嘎然 噢买嘎 欧买嘎 萨嘎 贡嘎 贡嘎县 阿巴嘎旗