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
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xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
咕 combines 口 (mouth) with 古, which provides the sound. The 口 part points to mouth sounds, such as clucking or cooing.
Appears in
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