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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "cough" in Chinese?
咳
ké
In Chinese, "cough" is 咳 (ké).
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Pronunciation
Pronounce this as "ké": "ké" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2).
Writing and usage
咳 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
一阵干咳让她难以入睡。
yī zhèn gān ké ràng tā nán yǐ rù shuì 。
A dry cough kept her awake.
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How to remember 咳
Say "ké" out loud three times fast — the repetition alone tends to cement "咳" (ké) in memory.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 咳
How do you pronounce 咳?
Pronounce this as "ké": "ké" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2).
Is 咳 formal or casual?
咳 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 咳 used in Chinese?
咳 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 一阵干咳让她难以入睡。 (A dry cough kept her awake.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Cough" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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