喧 (xuān): clamor, noise

喧 (xuān) is a Chinese character meaning “clamor.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 口 (semantic) and 宣 (phonetic). It ranks #2617 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically derived, 喧 mouth. Its radical form 口 (mouth) appears in many related characters such as 口 (kǒu, mouth), 叫 (jiào, to call, to be called), 右 (yòu, (bound form) right).

Spoken pronunciation

HSK 7-9 Radical: 口 mouth12 strokesFrequency #2617口 semantic 宣 phonetic

Definitions

clamor
noise

Etymology & Origin

喧

pictophoneticmouth

Decomposition: ⿰口宣 (layout: left-right)

Components:口semantic 宣phonetic

Stroke Order

Practice writing 喧 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
喧闹adjective	xuān nào	to make a noise
喧嚣verb	xuān xiāo	to clamor
喧哗verb	xuān huá	hubbub
喧宾夺主phrase	xuān bīn duó zhǔ	lit. the voice of the guest overwhelms that of the host (idiom)
喧哗与骚动	xuān huá yǔ sāo dòng	The Sound and the Fury (novel by William Faulkner 威廉·福克納\|威廉·福克纳)
喧呼	xuān hū	to shout loudly
喧扰	xuān rǎo	to disturb by noise
喧腾	xuān téng	to make a tumult

Total compounds

100

As first character

As last character

As middle character

喧 appears in 8 compound words: 100 as the first character, 0 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Strongest Collocations

Characters that most frequently co-occur with 喧 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.

哗huā

0.734322 co-occurrences

嚣xiāo

0.708337 co-occurrences

嚷rǎng

0.655118 co-occurrences

闹nào

0.633378 co-occurrences

嘈cáo

0.46918 co-occurrences

骚sāo

0.43248 co-occurrences

噪zào

0.42554 co-occurrences

吵chǎo

0.40332 co-occurrences

鼓gǔ

0.400142 co-occurrences

尘chén

0.36316 co-occurrences

Idioms & Chengyu (1)

喧宾夺主xuānbīnduózhǔHSK 7+

a minor issue takes precedence over a major one; a minor player upstages the main attraction

phrase

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

请喧下这杯茶，解解渴再继续工作。

qǐng xuān xià zhè bēi chá , xiè xiè kě zài jì xù gōng zuò .

Please pour yourself a cup of tea to quench your thirst before continuing your work.

中国新闻网·文化Aug 2026

喧嚣退去，侯宇的生活一如往常，依旧每天练功、筹备演出……像陀螺一样停不下来。

xuān xiāo tuì qù , Hóu yǔ de shēng huó yī rú wǎng cháng , yī jiù měi tiān liàn gōng , chóu bèi yǎn chū xiàng 陀 luó yī yàng tíng bù xià lái .

Once the commotion died down, Hou Yu’s life returned to normal—he continued to practice every day and prepare for performances… spinning like a top, never stopping.

中国新闻网·生活Aug 2026

工作消息、社交喧嚣全被厚重的山体隔绝在外。

gōng zuò xiāo xī , shè jiāo xuān xiāo quán bèi hòu chóng de shān tǐ gé jué zài wài .

News from work and the hustle and bustle of social life are all kept at bay by the massive mountain range.

中国新闻网·文化Aug 2026

而在万树园东侧的永佑寺舍利塔内，却静得听不见外面的喧闹。

ér zài wàn shù yuán dōng cè de yǒng yòu sì shě lì tǎ nèi , què jìng dé tīng bù jiàn wài miàn de xuān nào .

Inside the Relic Stupa at Yongyou Temple, located east of Wanshu Garden, however, it was so quiet that none of the outside commotion could be heard.

SmzdmApr 2026

逃离喧嚣,来大观湿地享受慢时光!

táo lí xuān xiāo , lái dà guàn shī dì xiǎng shòu màn shí guāng !

Escape the hustle and bustle and come to Daguan Wetland to enjoy a leisurely pace!

NewtalkApr 2026

桃猿3球员深夜喧哗惹议球团罚款惩处并严正告诫

táo 猿 3 qiú yuán shēn yè xuān huā rě yì qiú tuán fá kuǎn chéng chǔ bìng yán zhèng gào jiè

Three Lamigo Monkeys players face backlash for late-night disturbance; team imposes fines and issues stern warnings

Character Family

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 喧 (xuān) mean in Chinese?

喧 (xuān) primarily means "clamor." It is classified as HSK Level 7-9, making it an expert-level character. It ranks #2617 in character frequency.

How many strokes does 喧 have?

喧 is written with 12 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 喧?

The radical associated with 喧 is 口 (mouth). This radical appears in many characters related to mouth.

What are the components of 喧?

喧 is composed of: 口 (semantic), 宣 (phonetic). Its IDS decomposition is ⿰口宣 with a left-right layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.

What are common words containing 喧?

Common words with 喧 include: 喧闹 (xuān nào, "to make a noise"); 喧嚣 (xuān xiāo, "to clamor"); 喧哗 (xuān huá, "hubbub"); 喧宾夺主 (xuān bīn duó zhǔ, "lit. the voice of the guest overwhelms that of the host (idiom)"); 喧哗与骚动 (xuān huá yǔ sāo dòng, "The Sound and the Fury (novel by William Faulkner 威廉·福克納|威廉·福克纳)"). There are over 8 compound words containing this character.

What characters sound the same as 喧 (xuān)?

Several characters share the pronunciation xuān: 暄 (genial and warm), 选 (to choose), 宣 (to declare (publicly)), 旋 (to revolve), and 3 more. Context and tones help distinguish between them in speech and writing.

Is 喧 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

Yes, 喧 is written the same way in both simplified and traditional Chinese.

Practice writing 喧 with real-time feedback

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