咳嗽
HSK 4 (exam 2025)Old HSK 4
咳嗽 (késou) · to cough
咳嗽 (késou) means “to cough”. It is written with 2 characters: 咳 (to cough) + 嗽 (to gargle). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 咳嗽 is built
The characters
咳 ké · to cough
What 咳 is made of
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 亥hài — 12th terrestrial branch
- 亠tóu — lid
- 丶 — dot
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 亠tóu — lid
嗽 sòu · to gargle
What 嗽 is made of
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 欶shuò — to suck
- 束shù — to bind
- 木mù — tree
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 欠qiàn — to lack
- ⺈ — top shape
- 人rén — person
- 束shù — to bind
Example sentences
他咳嗽得很厉害。Tā késou de hěn lìhai.He is coughing badly.
你咳嗽几天了？Nǐ késou jǐ tiān le?How many days have you been coughing?
Questions about 咳嗽
What does 咳嗽 mean?
咳嗽 (késou) means “to cough”.
How do you pronounce 咳嗽?
咳嗽 is pronounced késou.
Which HSK level is 咳嗽?
咳嗽 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and Old HSK 4.
Related words
Learn 咳嗽 with its group
It is part of Old HSK 4 · Group 26: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.