How to Write 哐 (kuāng) — Meaning “Clang / Bang”

Imagine a large metal door slamming shut with a loud "KUANG" noise. The left 口 looks like an open mouth making the sound, and the right 匡 resembles a rectangular metal frame hitting something.

Write the left 口 small and compact, then write the right part 匡. In 匡, first draw the outer box (匚) with a horizontal stroke then a vertical hook, then fill the inside with 王 (three horizontal strokes and one vertical). A common mistake is making the mouth too big or misaligning the inner strokes.

哐 has the mouth radical on the left and is an onomatopoeia for loud sounds. 君 (jūn) means 'gentleman' and has 口 at the bottom, while 吝 (lìn) means 'stingy' with 口 at the bottom. Their shapes and meanings are very different from 哐.

哐 is an onomatopoeic word used in casual or comic writing to describe metallic crashing sounds, like a door slamming or a pot dropping. It often appears in the word 哐当 (kuāng dāng) to emphasize a sudden loud noise. You will not see it in formal or academic texts.

Common words containing 哐 include: 哐当 (kuāng dāng) — Clang / Thud; 哐哐 (kuāng kuāng) — Clanging / Banging; 哐 (kuāng) — Clang / Bang.