sau3嗽
Jyutpingsau3
Yalesau
Definition
To cough, or to rinse the mouth or gargle.
- to cough
- to rinse the mouth; to gargle
colloquialbodyhealth
How it's used
While 嗽 can function as a verb for gargling, it is most frequently encountered in the compound 咳嗽. In everyday speech, people often drop the 嗽 and simply use 咳 as the verb for coughing. When referring to the act of rinsing the mouth, 嗽口 is the standard term used by all generations.
Examples
Is your throat uncomfortable? Why have you been coughing?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse 嗽 with 漱, although they are often used interchangeably in writing for the meaning of gargling. In casual conversation, 嗽 is the character most commonly associated with the sound of coughing.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
