咕 (gū) — (onomatopoeia) cluck, coo, gurgle, rumble

Definition

Onomatopoeia for low, soft sounds — pigeon cooing, hen clucking, or a stomach rumbling. It is never used alone; pair it with a verb like 叫 or reduplicate as 咕噜 / 咕咕.

onomatopoeia
cluckcoogurglerumble
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Gē zi zài shù shàng gū gū jiào.
    The pigeon is cooing in the tree.
  • 。
    Wǒ de dù zi è dé gū lū lū xiǎng.
    My stomach is growling with hunger.
  • 。
    Mǔ jī gū gū dì jiào.
    The hen is clucking.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ咕gū
Same sound today

咕 combines 口 (mouth) with 古, which provides the sound. The 口 part points to mouth sounds, such as clucking or cooing.

Appears in
Birds

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