哒 (dā): clattering or tapping sound

Meanings

1 clattering or tapping sound

Characters

哒

dā

clattering sound

Examples

HSK 1

么么哒！

Me me da!

Mwah! (cute kissing sound)

HSK 7-9

马蹄哒哒地响。

Mǎtí dādā de xiǎng.

The horse hooves clattered.

Tips

usage

哒 is most commonly seen in the internet slang 么么哒 (a cute way to blow a kiss). On its own it imitates clattering sounds like hooves.

Components

radical

口 kǒu

mouth

Left mouth radical - pictograph of an open mouth. Standard marker for sound and speech characters; clusters 哒 with 啊, 吧, 呀, 哇, 嗒 - all small mouth-noise particles and onomatopoeias. Indicates this character functions as a vocal effect rather than a content word.

phonetic

达 dá

to reach; to arrive

Right 达 supplies the sound - dá flattening to dā in this onomatopoeia, the typical level-tone of clattering sounds. 达 itself depicts a person striding along the road (大 + 辶); here it carries no 'reach' meaning, only the crisp dental-stop syllable that mimics tapping or hooves on stone.