拗口 (ào kǒu) — hard to pronounce; awkward-sounding

Definition

An adjective describing speech or text that sounds awkward when said aloud — syllables clash or roll off the tongue poorly. Used only for pronunciation, not meaning.

adjective
hard to pronounceawkward-sounding

Examples

  • 拗口。
    Zhè ge wài guó rén de míng zì hěn ào kǒu.
    This foreigner's name is very hard to pronounce.
  • 拗口。
    Zhè ge cí de fā yīn hěn ào kǒu.
    The pronunciation of this word is awkward-sounding.
  • ，拗口。
    Zhè ge jù zi tài cháng le, dú qǐ lái hěn ào kǒu.
    This sentence is too long; it's awkward to read aloud.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

拗àotwist
口kǒumouth

The 拗 (twist) sense acting on 口 (mouth) makes a word awkward to pronounce.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 拗 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

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