Sound effects
Manhua are loud. Doors slam, rain pours, hearts pound, and all of it is written in characters chosen for their sound. Once you know how the system works, you can read a sound effect you have never seen before.
Noises
The sounds of the world around the characters.
Sound effects are chosen for how they sound, not what they mean, so reading them aloud is the whole trick. 砰 sounds like a bang; 嗖 sounds like something going past your ear.
Voices without words
The sounds characters make.
Most of these carry the mouth radical 口 on the left: 嘿, 呜, 哼, 哎. It is a hint. An unfamiliar character with 口 on the left, in a bubble, is very often a sound.
A page, panel by panel
Sound and speech taking turns.
Four panels, two words of real vocabulary. That is typical of a manhua page and why they are good early reading: the sounds and the drawing carry most of the story.
Many manhua sound effects are made up for the page and will not be in any dictionary. Read them aloud and look at the picture. If the sound of the character matches what is happening, that is the whole meaning.
8 questions. Get 5 right to finish the day.
砰！ is…
- a laugh
- rain
- a bang
- a sigh
Show the answer
a bang A crash or a slam.
咚咚咚 can be…
- rain
- a laugh
- a car horn
- knocking, or a heartbeat
Show the answer
knocking, or a heartbeat Both, depending on the panel.
呜呜呜 is…
- running
- eating
- laughing
- crying
Show the answer
crying Sob.
Type the pinyin for 哎呀.
Show the answer
āiyā Oh no.
A new character with 口 on the left, in a bubble, is often…
- a name
- a number
- a place
- a sound
Show the answer
a sound The mouth radical hints at a noise.
嘿嘿 is…
- an angry shout
- a cough
- a sly little laugh
- a sneeze
Show the answer
a sly little laugh Heh heh.
哼！ shows someone is…
- annoyed or sulking
- hungry
- delighted
- asleep
Show the answer
annoyed or sulking Hmph.
Type the Chinese or pinyin for Who is it?
Show the answer
shéi a 谁 plus the softening 啊.
Question 1 of 8