<p>You can use 咳 (ke) for the sound of clearing one's throat. It's the same character in 咳嗽, which is "cough". It is also the character used when people clear their throat to draw others attention to themselves. In this case, it is 咳咳.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-17T17:07:41.803Z
So the same term is used for both the gentle "ahem" sound *and* the deep, loud, phlegmy one?
hippietrail
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2013-11-17T17:27:40.010Z
Exactly. But when you want the deep, gross, phlegmy one, it is actually pronounced as "he" instead of "ke" (at least I read it that way. Very strict Mandarin speakers might not). Also it usually goes like "咳，呸！“ "呸" is the sound of spitting. So it's the sentence we use in text when we want to mimic the sound of "clearing one's throat and spit".
Pennie
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2013-11-17T21:47:19.210Z
I can't find a reference to 咳 being pronounced as "he"; which dictionary are you using?
congusbongus
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2013-11-25T13:43:26.540Z
@congusbongus Sorry. I honestly don't know if that's the standard Mandarin pronunciation. That's how I'll pronounce it if I see it in text and how I think it pronounces if I write it.
Pennie
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2013-11-17T17:01:44.240Z
2013-11-18T02:30:17.473Z
2013-11-18T02:30:17.473Z
Pennie
<p>There's a colloquial term in some regions in English I've seen spelled <em>hoik</em> and <em>hoick</em> to refer to the noisy act of clearing the throat/nasal cavity of mucus/phlegm, usually just before spitting it out. This is different from what would in English normally be meant by the term &quot;to clear one's throat&quot;, which is a quieter action a bit like a closed-mouth cough.</p>
<p>Since this doesn't seem to be considered rude or vulgar in Chinese culture as it is in many western countries, it's a lot more common. So I'm wondering if there are Chinese terms for it. (Mandarin preferred but all Chinese varieties are of interest.)</p>

<mandarin><vocabulary>
Is there a term for the noisy bringing up of phlegm in preparation to spit?
# Is there a term for the noisy bringing up of phlegm in preparation to spit?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-11-17)

There's a colloquial term in some regions in English I've seen spelled *hoik* and *hoick* to refer to the noisy act of clearing the throat/nasal cavity of mucus/phlegm, usually just before spitting it out. This is different from what would in English normally be meant by the term "to clear one's throat", which is a quieter action a bit like a closed-mouth cough.

Since this doesn't seem to be considered rude or vulgar in Chinese culture as it is in many western countries, it's a lot more common. So I'm wondering if there are Chinese terms for it. (Mandarin preferred but all Chinese varieties are of interest.)

**Tags:** mandarin, vocabulary


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-11-17. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

You can use 咳 (ke) for the sound of clearing one's throat. It's the same character in 咳嗽, which is "cough". It is also the character used when people clear their throat to draw others attention to themselves. In this case, it is 咳咳.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So the same term is used for both the gentle "ahem" sound *and* the deep, loud, phlegmy one?  
> **username_1**: Exactly. But when you want the deep, gross, phlegmy one, it is actually pronounced as "he" instead of "ke" (at least I read it that way. Very strict Mandarin speakers might not). Also it usually goes like "咳，呸！“ "呸" is the sound of spitting. So it's the sentence we use in text when we want to mimic the sound of "clearing one's throat and spit".  
> **username_2**: I can't find a reference to 咳 being pronounced as "he"; which dictionary are you using?  
> **username_1**: @username_2 Sorry. I honestly don't know if that's the standard Mandarin pronunciation. That's how I'll pronounce it if I see it in text and how I think it pronounces if I write it.  

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