嗲 (diǎ) — coquettish, coy, acting cute in a playful way; childishly sweet, spoiled in an endearing manner

Definition

Describes a flirtatious, cutesy manner — the tone of voice, look, or behavior of someone (often a woman) acting coy and playful. Often paired with 撒娇 and carries a slightly flirtatious, charming feel.

adjective
coquettishcoyacting cute in a playful waychildishly sweetspoiled in an endearing manner
Easily confused

Examples

  • 嗲。
    Tā shuō huà de shēng yīn hěn diǎ.
    The way she speaks sounds very coquettish.
  • 嗲。
    Tā nà zhǒng sā jiāo de yàng zi ràng rén jué de yǒu diǎn diǎ.
    His spoiled manner makes people think he's being a bit coy.
  • 嗲。
    Shàng hǎi rén yǒu shí jué de shuō pǔ tōng huà dài diǎn fāng yán huì xiǎn de hěn diǎ.
    Shanghai people sometimes feel that speaking Mandarin with a local accent sounds very coquettish.

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kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
爹
爹diē嗲diǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

嗲 combines 口 (mouth) with 爹, the part that gives the sound diē.

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