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呛 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
呛qiāngchoking, as by smoke; something that irritates the nose or throatHSK 7, v, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiāngto choke (because of swallowing the wrong way)HSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiāngto irritate the noseHSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiāngto choke (of smoke, smell etc)HSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiāngpungentHSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiāng(coll.) (Tw) to shout at sbHSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiāngto scoldHSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiāngto speak out against sbHSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiàngchoking, as by smoke; something that irritates the nose or throatHSK 7, v, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiàngto choke (because of swallowing the wrong way)HSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiàngto irritate the noseHSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiàngto choke (of smoke, smell etc)HSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiàngpungentHSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiàng(coll.) (Tw) to shout at sbHSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiàngto scoldHSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
呛qiàngto speak out against sbHSK 7, unknown, 7 strokes, radical 口, rank #11513, Very Hard
qiāng(qiang1)
primary
 T1
  1. 1choking, as by smoke; something that irritates the nose or throat
  2. 2to choke (because of swallowing the wrong way)
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

呛(嗆)qiāng(qiang1)

The character 呛 (qiāng) primarily refers to the act of choking or causing irritation, especially by smoke or strong odors. It can also imply a more colloquial sense of scolding or shouting at someone, particularly in Taiwanese Mandarin, where it is often used in interpersonal conflicts or disputes.

Strokes7Radical口Frequency#11513DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the experience of choking on smoke is often associated with the widespread use of incense in traditional ceremonies, making this character relevant during festivals or commemorative events. It reflects a common concern over air quality, especially in urban areas.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person inhaling smoke and suddenly choking, with the sound 'qiāng' mimicking the cough. The character 呛 has a mouth (口) component that connects to the idea of speaking or shouting when one is irritated. Picture a scenario where someone yells out in distress because of choking on smoke.

Meanings of 呛

qiāng(qiang1)
primary
1choking, as by smoke; something that irritates the nose or throat
2to choke (because of swallowing the wrong way)
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 呛

呛Simplified
嗆Traditional
7Strokes
口Radical
动词dòngcíverb (v.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank
HSK 3.0L7AdvancedCEFRC2

Podcast: 呛

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Podcast: 呛

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AI Study Notes for 呛

Quick Contrast

呛 (qiāng) vs 嗆 (qiàng) — use 呛 for choking or irritation, 嗆 for scolding or taunting.

Usage Notes

Be cautious with the tone; 'qiāng' has a first tone, which can be easily confused with the fourth tone (qiàng), meaning 'to shout'. This word is more commonly used in informal contexts, particularly in conversation, and may not be appropriate in formal writing. Common collocations include 呛烟 (choking on smoke) and 呛到 (to choke on).

HSK Study Tips

While 呛 is not included in the HSK vocabulary lists, students at the intermediate level should focus on its usage in daily conversations and its synonyms. Connecting it with words related to health and environment can enhance understanding, such as 烟 (smoke) and 刺激 (irritate).

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 呛 (qiāng) with its homophones and mix its meaning with related terms. For instance, using it incorrectly in a sentence like '我呛水了' (I choked water) should be corrected to '我呛到了水' (I choked on water).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 呛

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Etymology of 呛

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

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 仓 represents the sound. Simplified form of 嗆.

Memory Hint

mouth

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 呛

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 仓 represents the sound. Simplified form of 嗆.

  1. 1The meaning half口 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half仓 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 呛? 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 呛?

Decomposition of 呛

IDS Structure⿰口仓
呛Full Character
=
口kou3
left
仓cang1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 呛?

How to say choking, as by smoke; something that irritates the nose or throat in Chinese

“choking, as by smoke; something that irritates the nose or throat” in Chinese is呛qiāng

The character 呛 (qiāng) primarily refers to the act of choking or causing irritation, especially by smoke or strong odors. It can also imply a more colloquial sense of scolding or shouting at someone, particularly in Taiwanese Mandarin, where it is often used in interpersonal conflicts or disputes.

When to use 呛

Be cautious with the tone; 'qiāng' has a first tone, which can be easily confused with the fourth tone (qiàng), meaning 'to shout'. This word is more commonly used in informal contexts, particularly in conversation, and may not be appropriate in formal writing. Common collocations include 呛烟 (choking on smoke) and 呛到 (to choke on).

呛 or something close to it

呛 (qiāng) vs 嗆 (qiàng) — use 呛 for choking or irritation, 嗆 for scolding or taunting.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 呛 (qiāng) with its homophones and mix its meaning with related terms. For instance, using it incorrectly in a sentence like '我呛水了' (I choked water) should be corrected to '我呛到了水' (I choked on water).

Write 呛

呛

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

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Grammar Patterns of 呛

呛 functions as a verb — the action or state of the sentence. The Chinese order is Subject + Verb + Object (我吃饭). Negate it with 不 (habitual / future) or 没(有) (completed action). Add aspect markers like 了, 过, 着 directly after the verb. It carries 8 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 5

Complete the Sentence

滚滚浓烟盘旋翻腾，恶臭味____得她喘不过气来。

Dense smoke swirled and billowed, its rank fumes choking her.

Example Sentences for 呛 (6)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
滚滚浓烟盘旋翻腾，恶臭味呛得她喘不过气来。

gǔn gǔn nóng yān pán xuán fān téng， ， è chòu wèi qiāng dé tā chuǎn bù guò qì。

Dense smoke swirled and billowed, its rank fumes choking her.
2
几分钟不到，大厅里就弥漫着呛人的烟雾了。

jī fēn zhōng bù dào， ， dà tīng lǐ jiù mí màn zháo qiāng rén de yān wù。

Within minutes the hall was full of choking smoke.
3
当其他所有人都酷热难耐时，我却冻得够呛！

dāng qí tā suǒ yǒu rén dū kù rè nán nài shí， ， wǒ què dòng dé gòu！

When everybody else is boiling hot, I'm freezing!
4
味道既苦又辣得呛鼻。

wèi dào jì kǔ yòu là dé qiāng bí。

The taste is bitter and disagreeably pungent.
5
你真是笨得够呛,连方便面都不会煮.

nǐ zhēn shì bèn dé gòu qiāng, , lián fāng biàn miàn dū bù huì.

You are so stupid that you can't even cook instant noodles.
6
咖啡烫得几乎咽不下去，呛得他好一会儿喘不过气来。

kā fēi tàng dé jī hū yān bù xià qù， ， qiāng dé tā hǎo yī huì ér chuǎn bù guò qì。

The coffee was almost too hot to swallow and made him choke for a moment.

Word Family of 呛

Words Containing This Character3
呛qiāngpungent嗆
够呛gòuqiàngunbearable夠嗆
咳呛(dialect) to cough咳嗆
Exercise 1 of 3

Compound Meaning

What does 呛 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 呛

In colloquial Taiwanese Mandarin, 呛 can mean to scold or shout at someone, often in a heated argument.

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