嗶 / 哔
bì, bī
To say beep in Chinese, use 嗶 / 哔 (bì, bī) (bì or bī), the sound an electronic device makes. If unsure, use 嗶 / 哔. Wiktionary also lists 嗶聲 / 哔声 (bìshēng, bīshēng).
Meaning: electronically produced tone (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 嗶 / 哔 | bì, bī |
| 嗶聲 / 哔声 | bìshēng, bīshēng |
The single character 嗶 works as an onomatopoeia that stands for the sound itself in writing, much like beep in English. Informally, a beep is also written 嘟 (dū).
What does it mean word for word?
嗶聲 / 哔声 (bìshēng) joins 嗶 with 聲, meaning sound, so it names a beep sound.
Which one should you use?
Use 嗶 for the sound written out on its own and 嗶聲 when you talk about a beep as a thing, such as hearing a beep.
How do you pronounce it?
In pinyin it is bì with a falling tone or bī with a high level tone.
Did you know?
- In modern internet slang, 嗶嗶 is sometimes used as a playful way to censor words or represent a 'bleep' in a broadcast.
- While 嗶 represents a high-pitched electronic tone, the alternative 嘟 is used for lower sounds like a car horn or a telephone dial tone.
- The character 嗶 is a phono-semantic compound that combines the 'mouth' radical 口 with the character 畢, which provides the sound.
Examples in context
- 当机器发生了故障时，通常会发出几声哔哔声。When the machine malfunctions, it usually emits a few beeping sounds.
- 车辆反应迟缓时，会发出嘟嘟声。When the vehicle responds slowly, it will make a beeping sound.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beep” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 嗶, CC BY-SA 4.0.
