How to Write 咚 (dōng) — Meaning “thud; thump (onomatopoeia)”

Imagine a big drum with the sound "dong" echoing from it — the left side 口 looks like the drum's open mouth. The right side 冬 (winter) reminds you that the sound is as cold and heavy as falling snow. So picture a winter drum beating: 咚! 咚!

Write the left radical 口 small and narrow, then the right part 冬 starts with a short left-falling stroke (撇). A common mistake is making 口 too wide or forgetting the two dots at the bottom of 冬. The final dot (丶) must be placed under the horizontal strokes, not floating.

吁 (xū) is a sigh or exclamation, while 吂 (máng) means deaf or unclear sound. In contrast, 咚 (dōng) specifically imitates the heavy thumping sound of a drum or a fall. Visually, 吁 has 于 inside, 吂 has 亡, but 咚 uses 冬 — so look for the "winter" part on the right.

咚 is used in comics, stories, or everyday speech to describe a heavy impact sound, like a door slamming or someone falling. It often appears in reduplicated forms like 咚咚 (drumming) and 叮咚 (doorbell ding-dong). You won't see it in formal writing, but it's common in informal texts and children's books.

Common words containing 咚 include: 咚咚 (dōng dōng) — thumping; drumming sound; 叮咚 (dīng dōng) — ding-dong (sound); 咚的一声 (dōng de yī shēng) — with a thud.