嚅

rú
口 + 需

Definitions

rú chattering

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 需 represents the sound.

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 需

About

The character 嚅 is a phono-semantic compound describing a manner of speaking, typically stammering or mumbling indistinctly. Its left component is the mouth radical 口, placing it within the domain of vocal actions. The right component is 需 (xū), which means "need" on its own but serves here as the phonetic element guiding pronunciation. This character most often appears in literary compounds depicting muttering or hesitant speech, combining the physiological source of the sound with a precise phonetic identifier.

Example Sentences Hide

他嗫嚅地说不出话。

Tā niè rú de shuō bù chū huà.

He mumbled and couldn't speak.

她总是嗫嚅地回答问题。

Tā zǒng shì niè rú de huí dá wèn tí.

She always answers questions hesitantly.

孩子在老师面前嗫嚅不语。

Háizi zài lǎoshī miànqián niè rú bù yǔ.

The child mumbled silently in front of the teacher.

他嗫嚅了半天才开口。

Tā niè rú le bàntiān cái kāikǒu.

He mumbled for a long time before speaking.

嗫嚅的声音几乎听不见。

Niè rú de shēngyīn jīhū tīng bù jiàn.

The mumbling voice was almost inaudible.

他嗫嚅着道歉，显得很羞愧。

Tā niè rú zhe dàoqiàn, xiǎn dé hěn xiūkuì.

He mumbled an apology, looking very ashamed.

在众人的注视下，他嗫嚅地解释着原因。

Zài zhòngrén de zhùshì xià, tā niè rú de jiěshì zhe yuányīn.

Under everyone's gaze, he hesitantly explained the reason.

尽管他嗫嚅不已，但最终还是表达了真实的想法。

Jǐnguǎn tā niè rú bùyǐ, dàn zuìzhōng hái shì biǎodá le zhēnshí de xiǎngfǎ.

Although he mumbled incessantly, he eventually expressed his true thoughts.

Related Characters

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Component: 需

儒 懦 蠕 孺 糯 濡 繻 薷 襦 颥 臑 顬 壖 嬬

Example Words

嗫嚅