onomatopoeia / verb HSK 6
to murmur · to mumble · muttering sound
Meaning
哝 (nóng) represents the sound of soft, indistinct speech or murmuring. It's a literary or poetic character that imitates the sound of people speaking in low, unclear voices. The character is rarely used alone in modern Mandarin and appears primarily in classical texts or compounds.
Usage
This character is quite literary and uncommon in everyday speech. Native speakers most often encounter it in the compound 喃哝 (nán nóng), which means to murmur or mutter. It carries a soft, gentle quality and is typically used to describe quiet, intimate, or indistinct speech.
Examples
- 01他们在角落里喃哝着什么。.They were murmuring something in the corner.
- 02老人喃哝了几句听不清的话。.The old man muttered a few inaudible words.
Common collocations
- 喃喃哝哝muttering repeatedly
Antonyms
Origin
The character combines the mouth radical 口 (kǒu) with 农 (nóng), which serves as a phonetic component. The mouth radical indicates the character relates to speech or sound.