哽 meaning and stroke order
To sob; to choke up
How to write 哽, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 哽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to choke with emotion
- to choke on a piece of food
How 哽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 更 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 哽
The mouth 口 (kǒu) on the left shows this is about the throat and mouth, and 更 (gēng) on the right gives the sound. Picture your mouth suddenly stuck, unable to get words or food past it.
哽 is mostly used in the word 哽咽 (gěngyè), meaning to choke up with tears, often in writing or when describing someone's emotional speech. Example: 她说到这里，声音哽咽了。(Tā shuō dào zhèlǐ, shēngyīn gěngyè le.) When she got to this part, her voice choked up.
Common mistake: Learners often read 哽 as gēng or gèng because of the phonetic 更, but the correct tone is third tone, gěng. Also do not confuse it with 硬 (yìng, hard), which has 石 instead of 口 on the left.
Common words with 哽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 哽咽 | gěngyè | to choke with emotion; to choke with sobs |
Questions about 哽
How many strokes are in 哽?
哽 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 哽 mean?
哽 (gěng) means to sob; to choke up. A common word with it is 哽咽 (gěngyè), meaning "to choke with emotion; to choke with sobs".
How do you pronounce 哽?
哽 is pronounced gěng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 哽?
The radical of 哽 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 哽 under this radical.
Can 哽 mean choking on food?
Yes, 哽 can describe food stuck in the throat, as in 被鱼刺哽住了 (bèi yúcì gěng zhù le), got a fish bone stuck in the throat. In everyday speech, 噎 (yē) is more common for choking on food.
What is the difference between 哽咽 and 哭?
哭 (kū) simply means to cry. 哽咽 focuses on the voice catching or breaking from emotion, often while trying to speak, so it describes a quieter, held-back kind of crying.