‘嘈杂’ (cáo zá) is an adjective describing a loud, confusing, and unpleasant mixture of sounds—especially human voices—creating a sense of disorder and sensory overload. The first character 嘈 (cáo) originally evokes the sound of many people talking at once, like chatter or clamor; the second character 杂 (zá) means ‘mixed,’ ‘disordered,’ or ‘miscellaneous.’ Together, they emphasize not just volume but chaotic, unstructured noise that makes concentration or calm difficult.

This word is commonly used to describe crowded urban environments—such as busy markets, train stations, or classrooms during break time—as well as indoor spaces like restaurants with poor acoustics or open-plan offices. Unlike general terms for ‘loud’ (e.g., 大声), 嘈杂 carries a distinctly negative connotation: it implies annoyance, distraction, or even stress caused by the lack of auditory clarity and control.