Chinese word

嘶哑

Pronunciation

Pinyinsī yǎ

Meaning

  • adjectivehoarse

Example

我感冒了，声音有点嘶哑。wǒ gǎn mào le shēng yīn yóu diǎn sī yǎ

I have a cold, and my voice is a little hoarse.

Illustration for 嘶哑 (hoarse)

More examples

演出结束后，他的嗓子有些嘶哑。yǎn chū jié shù hòu tā de sǎng zi yǒu xiē sī yǎ

After the performance, his voice was a little hoarse.

Core concept

A clear voice becomes rough and weak, with a dry scraping edge that blurs the words.

Common phrases

  • 声音嘶哑shēng yīn sī yǎ

    a hoarse voice

  • 嗓子嘶哑sǎng zi sī yǎ

    a hoarse voice

  • 说话嘶哑shuō huà sī yǎ

    speak hoarsely

Similar words

沙哑shā yǎ: A voice has a low, rough, husky sound and is not easy to understand.
哑yǎ: Unable to produce a normal speaking voice, or producing only a very faint sound.

Definition in Chinese

指因喉部受损或疲劳而使声音变得粗糙、细弱并带有摩擦感，讲话听起来不清楚。zhǐ yīn hóu bù shòu sǔn huò pí láo ér shǐ shēng yīn biàn de cū cāo xì ruò bìng dài yǒu mó cā gǎn jiǎng huà tīng qǐ lái bù qīng chǔ

Word origin

The compound joins 嘶 (sī, "hissing or rasping sound") + 哑 (yǎ, "weak or voiceless"), combining rough noise with reduced voice to describe a strained, unclear sound.

Usage tips

  • Chinese treats this as a description of the sound, not the cause, so the same word can cover a temporary change after a cold, long speaking, or other throat strain.

Other meanings

  • hoarsenessnoun
  • husky voicenoun
  • raspy voicenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word