声

聲
shēng
#195 most
frequent character
sound, voice, reputation, tone
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

声 is shorthand for 聲, which showed an ear 耳 hearing stone chimes struck by a hand with a stick 殳. That gave the first meaning 'sound'. From there it grew to 'voice'.

Drawn as: ear hearing chimes; hand with stick

声 as a component in other characters

picture1 character
殸

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Example Sentences

这个声音很好听。
zhègè shēngyīn hěnhǎo tīng 。
This sound is very pleasant to listen to.
他的声音听起来很有磁性。
tāde shēngyīn tīngqǐlái hěnyǒu cíxìng 。
His voice sounds very charismatic.
在图书馆里不能发出声音。
zài túshū guǎn lǐ bùnéng fāchū shēngyīn 。
You cannot make any sound in the library.

Words with similar meanings

音yīn
sound
A more technical term often used in music and acoustics.
响xiǎng
noise
More informal, often used to describe loud or disruptive sounds.

Homophones

生shēng
unripe, green, living, raw
牲shēng
domestic animal, sacrificial animal

Words Starting With 声

声音shēng yīn
voice; sound
声调shēng diào
tone; note; a tone (on a Chinese syllable)
声势shēng shì
momentum
声明shēng míng
"statement; declaration
声誉shēng yù
reputation; fame

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