咽 (yàn) — to swallow

Character

Strokes: 9
Radical: 口 — mouth
Made of: 口 mouth 因 cause, reason
How it's built: Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound

他把已经到嘴边的反驳硬生生咽了回去，因为场合并不适合争辩。 Tā bǎ yǐjīng dào zuǐbiān de fǎnbó yìngshēngshēng yàn le huíqù, yīnwèi chǎnghé bìng bù shìhé zhēngbiàn. He forcefully swallowed the retort that was already on his lips, because the occasion was not suitable for arguing.
药片太大了，他喝了好几口水才咽下去。 Yàopiàn tài dà le, tā hē le hǎo jǐ kǒu shuǐ cái yàn xiàqù. The pill was too big; he drank several mouthfuls of water before he could swallow it.
她紧张得咽了咽口水才开口说话。 Tā jǐnzhāng de yàn le yàn kǒushuǐ cái kāikǒu shuōhuà. She was so nervous that she swallowed hard before starting to speak.