Definitions

zào (noun) noise; clamor; din
zào (verb) make noise; buzz; chirp

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

About

The character "噪" is structured with the mouth radical "口" on the left and the component "喿" on the right, where "喿" conveys the idea of chirping through its elements suggesting multiple mouths and a tree. Its etymology originates from denoting the chirping of birds or insects, but over time its meaning expanded to encompass any loud or disorderly sound, including human clamor. A traditional variant of this character, "譟", replaces the mouth radical with the speech radical "言", emphasizing vocal noise, yet both forms center on the concept of auditory disturbance. This semantic shift from specific natural sounds to general noise illustrates the character's development in usage.

Example Sentences Hide

外面音很大。

Wài miàn zào yīn hěn dà.

The noise outside is very loud.

工地的音影响了居民。

Gōng dì de zào yīn yǐng xiǎng le jū mín.

The noise from the construction site affected the residents.

市场里一片杂。

Shì chǎng lǐ yī piàn zào zá.

The market is a scene of noise and chaos.

观众在鼓,要求表演开始。

Guān zhòng zài gǔ zào, yāo qiú biǎo yǎn kāi shǐ.

The audience is clamoring for the performance to start.

的蝉鸣充满了夏天。

Guō zào de chán míng chōng mǎn le xià tiān.

The clamorous cicada songs fill the summer.

音污染是一个严重的问题。

Zào yīn wū rǎn shì yī gè yán zhòng de wèn tí.

Noise pollution is a serious problem.

尽管窗户关着,街上的音还是传了进来。

Jǐn guǎn chuāng hu guān zhe, jiē shàng de zào yīn hái shì chuán le jìn lái.

Even though the windows are closed, the noise from the street still came in.

为了减少音,他们安装了隔音设备。

Wèi le jiǎn shǎo zào yīn, tā men ān zhuāng le gé yīn shè bèi.

In order to reduce noise, they installed soundproofing equipment.