發出喉音 / 发出喉音
fāchū hóuyīn
In Mandarin, 'purr' can be expressed in several ways. The default form is 發出喉音 / 发出喉音 (fāchū hóuyīn). Wiktionary also lists 咕嚕咕嚕叫 / 咕噜咕噜叫 (gūlǔgūlǔ jiào) and 打呼嚕 / 打呼噜 (dǎ hūlū).
Meaning: of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat (verb)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 發出喉音 / 发出喉音 | fāchū hóuyīn |
| 咕嚕咕嚕叫 / 咕噜咕噜叫 | gūlǔgūlǔ jiào |
| 打呼嚕 / 打呼噜 | dǎ hūlū |
To describe the action of a cat making a vibrating sound in its throat, you can use several different expressions. If you want to refer to the vibrating sound itself as a noun, the most natural phrase is 咕嚕咕嚕聲 / 咕噜咕噜声.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 咕嚕咕嚕叫 / 咕噜咕噜叫 uses the onomatopoeic reduplication 咕嚕咕嚕 to mimic the sound of a cat's purr, followed by the verb 叫 which means to cry or make a sound.
Which one should you use?
While 打呼嚕 / 打呼噜 can be used to describe a cat purring, it is more commonly used to describe a human snoring.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
fāchū hóuyīn
Did you know?
- The sound of a cat purring is often written as 咕嚕咕嚕 / 咕噜咕噜, which is the same onomatopoeia used in Mandarin to describe the sound of water boiling or a stomach growling.
- In Mandarin, the verb 叫 / 叫 is used for almost all animal sounds, meaning the distinction between 'purring' and 'meowing' is often made by the adjective describing the sound rather than the verb itself.
- Using the phrase 發出喉音 / 发出喉音 to describe a cat's purr can make you sound more like a veterinarian or a scientist than a pet owner.
Examples in context
- 听听，猫猫在呼噜呢！Listen, the cat is purring!
- 猫咪好开心，一直咕噜噜叫。The cat is so happy, it keeps purring.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “purr” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
