How to Write 咙 (lóng) — Meaning “throat”

Imagine a dragon (龙) stuck in your mouth (口) and blocking your throat. The visual of a dragon in your mouth reminds you that 咙 means "throat." The sound "lóng" also matches the dragon’s name in Chinese.

Write the left radical 口 first (3 strokes: vertical, horizontal bend, horizontal), then the right part 龙 (5 strokes: horizontal, left-falling, hook, left-falling, dot). A common mistake is making the 口 too large or misplacing the dot on 龙 — keep 口 narrow and the dot on 龙 on the upper right.

The right side of 咙 is 龙 (dragon), while 吁 has 于 (yú) and 吂 has 亡 (wáng). 咙 specifically means "throat," 吁 means "sigh" or "shout," and 吂 is an old word for "mute." Visually, 龙 has a hook stroke that 于 and 亡 lack.

咙 appears mostly in the word 喉咙 (throat) and common health phrases like 喉咙痛 (sore throat) or 喉咙干 (dry throat). It is not in the HSK but is frequently used in daily conversation about sickness or discomfort. Culturally, Chinese people often advise drinking warm water when one has a dry throat.

Common words containing 咙 include: 喉咙 (hóu lóng) — throat; 喉咙痛 (hóu lóng tòng) — sore throat; 喉咙干 (hóu lóng gàn) — dry throat.