How to Write 唫 (jìn) — Meaning “To hum / To close the mouth”

Imagine you have a golden mouth (口 + 金) that you close tightly to keep your gold safe – this matches the meaning 'to close the mouth'. Or picture a person humming a tune while holding a golden coin, so the sound 'jin' helps you recall the humming meaning.

The 口 radical should be small and placed in the upper-left area, not too low. Inside the right part 金, write the top two strokes (撇 and 捺) wide, then the two horizontal strokes, then the vertical stroke, and finish with the bottom two strokes (撇 and 点) – the final horizontal stroke is often forgotten, but 金 has 8 strokes total.

呲 (cī) has 此 (this) on the right and means 'to laugh at' or 'to criticize', while 咠 (qì) has 耳 (ear) and means 'to whisper'. In contrast, 唫 uses 金 (gold/metal) and relates to humming or closing the mouth. Visually, the right parts are very distinct: 此, 耳, and 金.

唫 is a rare character not in the HSK word lists; you will find it mostly in classical literature or poetic expressions. It appears in words like 唫味 (to savor) and 唫口 (to keep one's mouth shut), but for everyday conversation, Chinese speakers use simpler terms like 闭嘴 (bìzuǐ) or 哼 (hēng) instead.

Common words containing 唫 include: 唫味 (jìn wèi) — To savor / To taste; 唫口 (jìn kǒu) — To keep one's mouth shut; 唫唫 (jìn jìn) — Humming sound.