How to Write 哝 (nóng) — Meaning “To murmur / To whisper”

Imagine a farmer (农) putting his hand near his mouth (口) to whisper a secret. The picture of someone speaking quietly beside a farm helps you recall that 哝 means "to murmur or whisper."

The left part 口 should be small and placed high, while the right part 农 has a clear stroke order: first the dot, then the horizontal, then the vertical hook, and finally the left-falling and right-falling strokes. A common mistake is making the 口 too big or misplacing the dot at the top of 农.

Unlike 君 (jūn, meaning "lord" or "ruler") and 吝 (lìn, meaning "stingy"), 哝 always relates to low, unclear speech. Visually, 君 has a mouth below a hand-like shape, while 吝 combines a mouth with the character for "text"—only 哝 has the farming component 农 on the right.

哝 is rarely used alone; it appears in repeating words like 哝哝 (murmuring) or in combinations like 嘟哝 (to mumble). It describes quiet, often complaining speech, and you might hear it in casual conversation about someone talking to themselves softly.

Common words containing 哝 include: 哝哝 (nóng nóng) — Murmuring / Whispering; 唧哝 (jī nóng) — To whisper / To mutter; 嘟哝 (dū nóng) — To mumble / To mutter.