捂

• Pinyin: wǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 捂 = 扌(hand radical — indicates a hand action) + 吾 (phonetic component providing the sound wu)

Meaning

To cover with one's hand or an object; to muffle; to press down over something to keep it warm, sealed, or concealed.

Used for covering the mouth, nose, or ears; wrapping something up warmly; or metaphorically for suppressing information or concealing a problem. 捂住 (cover up tightly) is common. In colloquial usage, 捂盖子 means to cover up a scandal or incident.

Examples

1. 她赶紧用双手捂住嘴巴，努力压制住突如其来的笑意。 She quickly covered her mouth with both hands, trying hard to suppress a sudden urge to laugh.
2. 寒冬里，老人用厚厚的棉被把孩子捂得严严实实，生怕受了风寒。 In the dead of winter, the elderly man bundled the child up tightly under a thick quilt, afraid the child would catch a cold.
3. 有关部门试图捂住这起安全事故，但相关信息最终还是被媒体曝光。 The authorities tried to cover up this safety incident, but the information was ultimately exposed by the media.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, physical gestures, child-rearing, media, public affairs

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 孩子捂住耳朵，闭上眼，不肯听那个让他难以接受的消息。(The child covered his ears, closed his eyes, and refused to hear the news that was hard for him to accept.)
• 调查发现，该企业高层多次捂住产品缺陷报告，阻止消息外泄。(The investigation found that the company's top management repeatedly suppressed reports on product defects and stopped the information from leaking out.)

Don't Say

• 捂 for covering with a large cloth or sheet spread over a surface — use 盖 or 覆盖; 捂 specifically implies pressing or wrapping snugly with a hand or soft material, emphasising the sealing or warming effect rather than mere covering

Origin & History

扌(hand radical) + 吾 (phonetic: I, me) — hand pressing or covering over something

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal