HanziGuru.聋 · lóng
聋
lóng[long2]Tone 2

deaf

HSK 7
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聾
Guru Deep Dive

English · deaf

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:20
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top component (龙) compact and slightly compressed, while giving the bottom component (耳) enough vertical space to anchor the heavy character structure.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 聾 pairs 龍 (dragon) with 耳 (ear). In the simplified form, 龍 is replaced by its standard simplified counterpart 龙.
1. Meaning

deaf, unable to hear

ignoredunresponsive to sound or advice
AdjectiveNeutral#senses#body parts#medical conditions
Sample Usage
  • 他的耳朵有点聋。
    tā de ěrduo yǒudiǎn lóng.
    His ears are a bit deaf.
  • 震耳欲聋
    zhèn ěr yù lóng
    deafening (idiom: shaking ears wanting to be deaf)
2. Sound
/[lʊŋ³⁵]/Tone: 35
聋
lónglong2
++
´(35)
=lóng
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
long
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
l
Type: Alveolar Lateral
Sounds like: l sound as in 'love'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Air flows freely around both sides of tongue.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge right behind the upper front teeth, letting air flow along the sides.
Final Rhyme
ong
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ong rhymes with rung
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'h-' (h) with final '-ong' (oong).
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts in the mid voice register and climbs sharply upward to the top, exactly matching an English rising question inflection like 'Really?'
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2, it shifts to a high rising pitch pattern similar to Tone 3 sandhi modifications depending on speech speed.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the ending '-ong' with '-ang' or '-en' due to rapid native speech.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A physical upward hand arc moving from chest level up to eye level, mirroring an interrogative upward nod.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 20 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top component (龙) compact and slightly compressed, while giving the bottom component (耳) enough vertical space to anchor the heavy character structure.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 聾 pairs 龍 (dragon) with 耳 (ear). In the simplified form, 龍 is replaced by its standard simplified counterpart 龙.

4. Components

Radical 耳 · Ear Radical (Ear, hearing)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 耳 (Indicates the sense of hearing and body part affected.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 龙 (original sound: long)

A dragon (龙) roaring so loudly right next to your ear (耳) that you go deaf!

  • 龙 Provides the phonetic sound 'lóng'
  • 耳 Provides the semantic meaning relating to the ear
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 耳 (ear) to represent the organ of hearing and 龙 (dragon) acting as the phonetic sound indicator.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to impaired hearing, later extended to metaphorical deafness such as ignoring advice or turning a blind eye.

  • The combination highlights how ancient Chinese character creators cleverly merged sound and imagery to depict physical conditions.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ロウ (rō) / Kun: つんぼ (tsunbo)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
롱
Sound Shift Bridge: The Mandarin 'lóng' corresponds to Sino-Xenic roots like 'rō' in Japanese and '롱' in Korean.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a magical dragon (龙) whose breath is so thunderous that it blows right into your ear (耳), rendering you completely deaf (聋).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
龙
lóngChinese dragon; loongPhonetic Core (声旁)
宠
chǒngto pamper+ 宀 (roof)
咙
lóngthroat+ 口 (mouth)
垄
lǒngridge between fields+ 土 (earth)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
笼(lóng)
籠/笼 uses the bamboo radical (⺮) for baskets, whereas 聾/聋 uses the ear radical (耳) for deafness.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
爷爷的年纪大了，耳朵有点[___]。
Clue: lóng
Common Learner Pitfall

Forgetting the heavy stroke count and miswriting the complex top phonetic part 龙 or misplacing the ear radical.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 聋 mean, and what are its phonetic and semantic parts?
Production: How do you write the character for 'deaf' (lóng) combining dragon and ear?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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