喇叭

lǎba

noun HSK 7 #7,526

Meanings

1 horn; trumpet; bugle
2 loudspeaker; speaker

Characters

(used in 喇叭)

(used in 喇叭)

Neither character has independent meaning — 喇叭 is a single unit, likely onomatopoeic from the sound of a horn blast.

Examples

他按了一下汽车喇叭。

Tā àn le yíxià qìchē lǎba.

He honked the car horn.

广场上的喇叭在播放音乐。

Guǎngchǎng shàng de lǎba zài bōfàng yīnyuè.

The loudspeakers in the square are playing music.

Tips

usage

喇叭 covers a surprisingly wide range: car horns (汽车喇叭), musical instruments like trumpets (小喇叭), loudspeakers, and even phone/computer speakers. The shape of the flared opening is the common thread. Morning glory flowers are called 喇叭花 because of their trumpet shape.

Stroke Order

喇 lǎ

叭 bā