Definition

1. Onomatopoeia (Từ tượng thanh):
   • Clatter; a clanking or grating sound: Represents a repetitive, often harsh, dry sound produced by the impact, friction, or collision of hard objects, such as wood, metal, or stone. It often implies a sense of laborious or rough activity.

Usage Examples

• Onomatopoeia:
  • Từ trong xưởng gỗ vang ra tiếng kì cạch. (From inside the wood workshop came a clattering sound.)
  • Chiếc xe cũ kêu kì cạch trên đường đá. (The old cart clattered along the stone road.)
  • Anh ta đang kì cạch đục một khối đá. (He was clanking away, chiseling a block of stone.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is often reduplicated as "kì cạch" to emphasize the continuous, repetitive nature of the sound. It is not typically used in a non-reduplicated form.
  • Cả đêm nghe tiếng kì cạch từ công trường bên cạnh. (All night, the clattering sound from the adjacent construction site could be heard.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lạch cạch (onomatopoeia): A lighter, sharper clinking or rattling sound, often of smaller objects.
• Lộp cộp (onomatopoeia): A hollow, knocking or bumping sound.
• Ồm ồm (onomatopoeia): A dull, heavy thudding sound.

Synonyms

• Clatter: A continuous rattling sound as of hard objects falling or striking each other.
• Clank: A loud, sharp, metallic sound.
• Grating: A harsh, rasping sound caused by friction.

Related Idioms and Expressions

• Làm kì cạch: To work laboriously, often making such sounds. It describes engaging in manual, sometimes tedious work.
  • Ông ấy cả ngày làm kì cạch trong garage. (He spent the whole day tinkering/clattering away in the garage.)

1. Clatter (tiếng đục đẽo)