呵

hē
HSK 6
#1,858 most
frequent character
to scold in a loud voice, to yawn
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

呵 has 口, mouth and sound, as its meaning part and 可 kě as its sound part. It first meant to berate someone, then grew to mean to breathe out. The reading ā is an exclamation borrowed only for its sound.

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Example Sentences

他每次考不好都会被老师呵斥。
tā měicì kǎo bùhǎo dōuhuì bèi lǎoshī hēchì 。
He is always scolded by the teacher whenever he does poorly on a test.
我在开会的时候忍不住呵欠。
wǒzài kāihuì de shíhòu rěnbùzhù hēqiàn 。
I couldn't help but yawn during the meeting.
有时候父母会因为小事而呵叱孩子。
yǒu shíhòu fùmǔ huì yīnwèi xiǎoshì ér hēchì háizǐ 。
Sometimes parents will scold their children for small things.

Same Characters, Different Readings

呵ā
variant of 啊[a1]

Words with similar meanings

斥chì
to reprimand
More formal than '呵', often used in official contexts.
责骂zémà
to scold
A direct synonym, slightly more intense and formal.

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Public Lists with 呵

Feelings & Emotions
Vocabulary for happiness, sadness, anger, fear, love, excitement, etc.
Common Communication Phrases
Polite expressions, apologies, congratulatory phrases, and casual chat.
Basic Verbs
Core action verbs like 'go,' 'come,' 'eat,' 'see,' commonly encountered in HSK.
HSK 6
All words for the HSK 6 test