哼

• 병음: hēng
• 한자 분석: 哼 = 口 (mouth) + 亨 (phonetic — smooth, prosperous) — the mouth producing a soft, resonant nasal sound

뜻

흥얼거리다; (못마땅해) 콧방귀를 뀌다/흥! 하다

哼 has two main functions: (1) to hum a melody (哼歌 — to hum a song); (2) to make a dismissive nasal grunt (哼了一声 — let out a snort). As a standalone interjection, 哼！ typically signals scepticism, contempt, or disdain. The onomatopoeic vividness of 哼 makes it a favourite in literary dialogue to convey a character's emotional state succinctly.

예문

1. 他心情大好地哼着一首不知名的小曲，一边收拾整理办公桌，一边等待愉快的下班时刻。
2. 听到上司提出那个明显不合理的要求，她轻轻地哼了一声，用这个细微的动作表达了内心的不满。
3. 哼，你以为凭这几句话就能让我回心转意？我见过太多类似的说辞，这一套对我早已没有任何效果。

사용 가이드

맥락: emotions, music, dialogue, casual speech, literary description

어조: varied

올바른 표현

• 她一边做饭，一边轻声哼着婆婆年轻时常唱的那首老歌，厨房里因此弥漫出一股温馨而宁静的家庭气息。(She hummed softly the old song her mother-in-law used to sing in her youth while cooking, filling the kitchen with a warm and peaceful family atmosphere.)
• 哼，他说得再天花乱坠，我也不会相信，这种人说的话向来靠不住，还是多留个心眼为好。(Hmph — no matter how brilliantly he talks it up, I won't believe him. This kind of person is never reliable; it's always better to stay on one's guard.)

피해야 할 표현

• 哼 confused with 嗯 — 哼 typically conveys mild contempt or the act of humming, while 嗯 is a neutral acknowledgment or agreement; the two carry very different emotional tones

기원과 역사

Onomatopoeic — 口 (mouth) + 亨 (phonetic — smooth/prosperous) — mouth producing a smooth, low nasal sound

문화적 배경

세대: All ages

사회적 배경: Universal