Chinese word

口哨

Pronunciation

Pinyinkǒu shào

Meaning

  • nounwhistle

Example

朋友不在时，她常对着天空吹口哨。péng yǒu bú zài shí tā cháng duì zhe tiān kōng chuī kǒu shào

When her friends aren't around, she often blows a whistle up toward the sky.

Illustration for 口哨 (whistle)

More examples

救护车接近时，交警吹口哨示意让路。jiù hù chē jiē jìn shí jiāo jǐng chuī kǒu shào shì yì ràng lù

When the ambulance approached, the traffic officer blew a whistle to signal people to make way.

Core concept

A brief, piercing burst of sound that travels as a call, whether produced by the lips alone or by a small whistle.

Common phrases

  • 吹口哨chuī kǒu shào

    blow a whistle

  • 吹着口哨chuī zhe kǒu shào

    whistling

  • 口哨声kǒu shào shēng

    whistling sound

Similar words

口笛kǒu dí: A sound made by shaping the mouth and changing the breath, sometimes forming a simple melody.
哨声shào shēng: A brief, high-pitched sound that serves as a call or signal.

Definition in Chinese

用口发出的短促、尖锐的声音，常作为引起注意、呼唤或表达情绪的信号，也可指发出该声音的动作或器具。yòng kǒu fā chū de duǎn cù jiān ruì de shēng yīn cháng zuò wéi yín qǐ zhù yì hū huàn huò biǎo dá qíng xù de xìn hào yě kě zhǐ fā chū gāi shēng yīn de dòng zuò huò qì jù

Word origin

The compound 口哨 (kǒushào, "whistle") joins 口 (kǒu, "mouth") to 哨 (shào, "sentry signal"), narrowing the idea of a signal to one made through the mouth.

Usage tips

  • English can use whistle as both a noun and a verb, while Chinese normally marks the action with a separate verb before this noun.

Other meanings

  • blow a whistleverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 口哨声kǒu shào shēngwhistling soundnoun

Word lists with this word