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噴 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
噴pēnto blow, to puff, to spray, to spurtzg, 15 strokes, radical 口, rank #59477, Very Hard
pēn(pen1) T1
  1. 1to blow, to puff, to spray, to spurt
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

噴pēn(pen1)

The character 噴 (pēn) means to blow, puff, spray, or spurt. It is often used in contexts involving liquids or gases being forcefully expelled, such as spraying water or a puff of air. This character can describe both literal actions, like spraying perfume, and metaphorical actions, such as expressing emotions forcefully.

Strokes15Radical口Frequency#59477DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the act of spraying is often associated with celebrations, such as the spraying of champagne at weddings or festivals. 噴 can also refer to traditional practices such as incense spraying during rituals.

Memory Tip

Imagine a fountain (the radical for water, 水) that sprays water high into the air. The sound of water spraying resembles the pronunciation 'pēn.' Picture someone shouting 'PEN!' as they watch the beautiful spray, connecting the character's sound with its meaning.

Meanings of 噴

pēn(pen1)
1to blow, to puff, to spray, to spurt
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 噴

噴Simplified
15Strokes
口Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 噴

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Podcast: 噴

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AI Study Notes for 噴

Quick Contrast

喷 (pēn) vs 喷射 (pēnshè) — use 噴 for general spraying actions, while 喷射 specifically refers to a more forceful or directed spray, often in technical contexts.

Usage Notes

Be cautious of the contexts in which 噴 is used; it often implies a strong force behind the action, which can lead to misunderstandings if overused in gentle contexts. Collocations include 噴水 (pēn shuǐ, to spray water) and 噴霧 (pēn wù, to spray mist). It is typically used in informal settings but can appear in technical language.

HSK Study Tips

Though 噴 is not in the HSK vocabulary list, it connects with other HSK vocabulary related to actions and descriptions, such as 吹 (chuī, to blow). Focus on understanding its usage in everyday scenarios to enhance your vocabulary around verbs of action.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 噴 with 吹 (chuī), which means 'to blow' without the forceful connotation. For example, saying '我想噴气球' (wǒ xiǎng pēn qìqiú) is incorrect; it should be '我想吹气球' (wǒ xiǎng chuī qìqiú) for 'I want to blow up the balloon.'

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 噴

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Etymology of 噴

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

mouth

Semantic (meaning)口
+
Phonetic (sound)賁
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 噴

  1. 1The meaning half口 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half賁 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaymouth
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 噴? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 噴?

Decomposition of 噴

IDS Structure⿰口賁
噴Full Character
=
口kou3
left
賁bi4
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 噴?

How to say to blow, to puff, to spray, to spurt in Chinese

“to blow, to puff, to spray, to spurt” in Chinese is噴pēn

The character 噴 (pēn) means to blow, puff, spray, or spurt. It is often used in contexts involving liquids or gases being forcefully expelled, such as spraying water or a puff of air. This character can describe both literal actions, like spraying perfume, and metaphorical actions, such as expressing emotions forcefully.

When to use 噴

Be cautious of the contexts in which 噴 is used; it often implies a strong force behind the action, which can lead to misunderstandings if overused in gentle contexts. Collocations include 噴水 (pēn shuǐ, to spray water) and 噴霧 (pēn wù, to spray mist). It is typically used in informal settings but can appear in technical language.

噴 or something close to it

喷 (pēn) vs 喷射 (pēnshè) — use 噴 for general spraying actions, while 喷射 specifically refers to a more forceful or directed spray, often in technical contexts.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 噴 with 吹 (chuī), which means 'to blow' without the forceful connotation. For example, saying '我想噴气球' (wǒ xiǎng pēn qìqiú) is incorrect; it should be '我想吹气球' (wǒ xiǎng chuī qìqiú) for 'I want to blow up the balloon.'

Write 噴

噴

Practice writing 噴 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 噴

Words Containing This Character20
喷pēnto puff噴
喷泉pēnquánfountain噴泉
喷射to spurt噴射
喷出spout噴出
打喷嚏dǎpēntìto sneeze打噴嚏
喷嚏sneeze噴嚏
喷洒to spray噴灑
喷气jet噴氣
喷发to erupt噴發
喷雾mist spray噴霧
喷漆lacquer噴漆
喷气式jet-propelled噴氣式
井喷surge井噴
喷气机jet (engine, plane)噴氣機
香喷喷delicious香噴噴
喷头nozzle噴頭
喷嘴nozzle噴嘴
喷雾器nebulizer噴霧器
喷涌to bubble out噴湧
喷水池a fountain噴水池
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 喷 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 噴

You can say '他噴了水在花上' (tā pēn le shuǐ zài huā shàng), meaning 'He sprayed water on the flowers.'

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