咽 yān / yàn / yè — narrow pass; throat; to swallow; to choke (in crying)
感冒了，他觉得咽喉有点儿疼。Gǎn mào le, tā jué de yān hóu yǒu diǎnr téng.He caught a cold and feels his throat is a bit sore.
Common words: 吞咽 (tūn yàn)、咽喉 (yān hóu)、呜咽 (wū yè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "throat"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "throat", including 咽 (yān / yàn / yè), 喉 (hóu), 嗓 (sǎng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "throat" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 咽 (yān / yàn / yè), 喉 (hóu), 嗓 (sǎng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yān, yàn, yè, hóu, sǎng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 咽 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 咽 yān / yàn / yènarrow pass; throat; to swallow; to choke (in crying)Useful words: 吞咽, 咽喉
- 喉 hóuthroat; larynxUseful words: 喉咙, 咽喉
- 嗓 sǎngthroat; voiceUseful words: 嗓子, 大嗓
Common words for these 3 "throat" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 咽 (yān / yàn / yè) — so "throat" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "throat".
喉 hóu — throat; larynx
大声喊叫久了，他的喉咙都哑了。Dà shēng hǎn jiào jiǔ le, tā de hóu lóng dōu yǎ le.After shouting for a long time, his throat became hoarse.
Common words: 喉咙 (hóu lóng)、咽喉 (yān hóu)、喉部 (hóu bù)
嗓 sǎng — throat; voice
这位歌手的嗓音又亮又好听。Zhè wèi gē shǒu de sǎng yīn yòu liàng yòu hǎo tīng.This singer voice is clear and pleasant.
Common words: 嗓子 (sǎng zi)、大嗓 (dà sǎng)、小嗓 (xiǎo sǎng)
All 3 characters
Open 咽、喉、嗓 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.