Chinese word

咳

Pronunciation

Pinyinké

Meaning

  • verbcough

Example

昨夜我不停地咳，今天声音沙哑。zuó yè wǒ bù tíng dì ké jīn tiān shēng yīn shā yǎ

I kept coughing last night, and my voice is hoarse today.

Illustration for 咳 (cough)

More examples

孩子一有感冒就会咳个不停。hái zi yì yǒu gǎn mào jiù huì ké gè bù tíng

Whenever the child catches a cold, they cough nonstop.

Core concept

Air driven sharply through the throat creates a rough sound that may clear the throat once or come in a series of powerful bursts.

Common phrases

  • 咳个不停ké gè bù tíng

    cough nonstop

  • 咳血ké xiě

    cough up blood

Similar words

咳嗽ké sòu: To cough as an automatic response to irritation in the throat or breathing passages.
喘气chuǎn qì: To pant with short, fast breaths when breathing feels difficult.
清嗓子qīng sǎng zi: To gently clear the throat to make speaking easier.
打喷嚏dǎ pēn tì: To sneeze by forcefully breathing out through the nose or mouth because the nose is irritated.

Definition in Chinese

通过喉部用力呼气并发出声音的动作，有时用于清嗓或引起注意。tōng guò hóu bù yòng lì hū qì bìng fā chū shēng yīn de dòng zuò yǒu shí yòng yú qīng sǎng huò yín qǐ zhù yì

Word origin

咳 (ké, "cough") combines 口 (kǒu, "mouth"), which indicates an action involving the mouth, with 亥 (hài, "phonetic element"), which contributes its traditional sound pattern.

Usage tips

  • In a quiet public setting, an intentional light cough can signal a wish to be noticed, whereas an involuntary cough usually carries no such message; context distinguishes the two.

Other meanings

  • cough violentlyverb

Related words

Word lists with this word