打嗝
dǎgé
In Chinese, 'burp' is primarily expressed as 打嗝 (dǎgé). Wiktionary also lists 噯氣 / 嗳气 (ǎiqì) and 飽嗝 / 饱嗝 (bǎogé).
Meaning: to emit a burp (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 打嗝 | dǎgé |
| 噯氣 / 嗳气 | ǎiqì |
| 飽嗝 / 饱嗝 | bǎogé |
| 嗝 | gé |
While 打嗝 is the most general term, other forms are used to specify the cause or the nature of the burp.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb 打嗝 is composed of 打, meaning to hit or perform and 嗝, meaning a hiccup or burp.
Which one should you use?
打嗝 is the most common and general term that can refer to both burping and hiccuping. In contrast, 饱嗝 (or 飽嗝) specifically refers to a burp that results from being full. Additionally, 饱嗝 and 嗳气 (or 噯氣) can also be used as nouns to mean a softer belch.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more formal or medical contexts, such as describing eructation, use 嗳气 (or 噯氣). In casual speech, you may encounter the informal variations 打嗝儿 or the concise 嗝儿.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Beijing dialect, the informal forms 打嗝儿 and 嗝儿 are used, though their pronunciation remains similar to Standard Mandarin.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
dǎgé
Did you know?
- The character 嗝 shares its phonetic component with the word 鬲, which refers to an ancient type of cooking vessel used in ritual ceremonies.
- Because the character 打 means 'to hit', the phrase 打嗝 literally translates to 'to hit a hiccup/burp', treating the physical act like an action being performed.
- In many Chinese dialects, the word for 'burp' is written with the same character used for 'hiccup', meaning a single word often covers both physiological involuntary movements.
Examples in context
- 他刚才打了个嗝。He just burped.
- 她给小孩拍了拍背，帮他打嗝儿。She patted the child's back to help him burp.
- 他吃得太快，直接打嗝儿了。He ate too quickly and burped outright.
- 他吃完了肚子巨鼓，又打了个嗝儿。After finishing his meal with a bloated belly, he burped again.
- 我不小心打嗝了。Wǒ bù xiǎoxīn dǎgé le.I accidentally burped.
- 他一直在打嗝。Tā yìzhí zài dǎgé.He keeps burping.
- 喝完汽水后容易打嗝。Hē wán qìshuǐ hòu róngyì dǎgé.It is easy to burp after drinking soda.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “burp” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 嗝, CC BY-SA 4.0.
