欬 (kài) - To cough & to clear the throat

欬Tone 4

kài ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

欬 · kài

To cough;

to clear the throat;

to hawk.

To coughto clear the throatto hawk.

Usage highlights

CoughCough up phlegmDry coughChronic coughCoughing soundAsthmatic cough

Synonyms

  • 咳— To cough (modern common character)
  • 嗽— To cough, to clear throat

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He has a persistent cough (欬嗽).
  • The patient coughed up phlegm (欬痰).
  • She cleared her throat before speaking (欬了一声).
  • The cold caused a dry cough (干欬).

Collocations

  • Cough(欬嗽)
  • Cough up phlegm(欬痰)
  • Dry cough(干欬)
  • Chronic cough(久欬)
  • Coughing sound(欬声)
  • Asthmatic cough(喘欬)

Idioms

  • Coughing and panting(欬喘)
  • Coughing and retching(欬逆)
  • Cough and phlegm syndrome(欬痰)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Appears in classical Chinese medical texts describing respiratory symptoms.
  • Considered an archaic or literary character in modern usage, often replaced by 咳 in contemporary writing.
  • Used in traditional Chinese medicine terminology to describe specific types of coughs.

FAQ