Chinese word

口水

Pronunciation

Pinyinkǒu shuǐ

Meaning

  • noundrool

Example

宝宝睡着时会流口水。báo bǎo shuì zháo shí huì liú kóu shuǐ

The baby drools while sleeping.

Illustration for 口水 (drool)

More examples

他紧张地吞下了口水。tā jǐn zhāng dì tūn xià le kóu shuǐ

He nervously swallowed his saliva.

Core concept

Liquid in the mouth that can run out as drool and can signal strong desire for food.

Common phrases

  • 吞下口水tūn xià kóu shuǐ

    swallow saliva

  • 擦掉口水cā diào kóu shuǐ

    wipe away drool

  • 流口水liú kóu shuǐ

    drool

Similar words

唾液tuò yè: The clear liquid produced inside the mouth to help with eating and speaking.

Definition in Chinese

口水指口腔分泌的液体，口语中常用来指流出的唾液或俗称的唾沫，在非正式语境下也可表示对食物的垂涎。kóu shuǐ zhǐ kǒu qiāng fēn mì de yè tǐ kóu yǔ zhōng cháng yòng lái zhǐ liú chū de tuò yè huò sú chēng de tuò mò zài fēi zhèng shì yǔ jìng xià yě kě biǎo shì duì shí wù de chuí xián

Word origin

口水 (kǒushuǐ, "mouth water") combines 口 (kǒu, "mouth") and 水 (shuǐ, "water") to form a concrete everyday name for saliva and the liquid that drips from the mouth.

Usage tips

  • English separates the noun for liquid inside the mouth from the noun for liquid that escapes, but everyday Chinese often lets context make that distinction.

Other meanings

  • spitnoun
  • salivanoun

Word lists with this word