How to Write 嘁 (qī) — Meaning “Whisper; hiss.”

Imagine the left side 口 as a mouth, and the right side 戚 as a person wearing a hat (the top stroke) and armor (the complex inner parts). Picture that person leaning close to the mouth to whisper a secret, so 嘁 means a whisper.

The right side 戚 has many strokes — be careful to write the upper part (厂-like shape) first, then the middle 小, and finally the bottom 戈. Beginners often forget the small vertical stroke inside the top-left of 戚, so ensure each stroke is counted and placed correctly.

嘁 focuses on whispering or hissing sounds, while 㕡 is a very rare character meaning a crack or opening (often in ancient texts) and 啻 means only or merely, used in phrases like 不啻 (not only). Visually, 嘁 has 口 on the left, 㕡 has 口 on top with a complex bottom, and 啻 has 口 on top with 帝 below.

嘁 is most often used in the reduplicated form 嘁嘁喳喳 to describe the sound of people whispering or muttering, like in a crowded room. It can also appear in the onomatopoeic expression 嘁的一声 for a sharp hiss or whisper, but it is not common in daily conversation — you will mostly see it in literature or descriptive writing.

Common words containing 嘁 include: 嘁嘁喳喳 (qī qī zhā zhā) — Whispering and muttering.; 嘁喳 (qī zhā) — Whispering; murmuring.; 嘁的一声 (qī de yī shēng) — With a hiss; with a whisper..