(āi yā) - oh dear, oh no, ouch (exclamation of surprise or dismay) in Mandarin
āiyāTraditional: 哎呀
Translation
oh dear, oh no, ouch (exclamation of surprise or dismay)
Word origin
A reduplicated-style exclamation built from 哎 (āi) and 呀 (yā), both carrying the 口 (mouth) radical to mark them as vocal sounds.
- Origin
- phono-semantic
- Root
- 哎 (āi, mouth radical) + 呀 (yā, mouth radical)
Stroke order
哎
呀
Examples
,!
Oh no, I forgot to bring my keys!
,。
Oh dear, now we are in trouble.
,?
Oh, why are you only arriving now?
,!
Ouch, that really hurts!
,!
Oh, so it was you!
哎呀 (āi yā) is an exclamation expressing surprise, dismay, mild pain or sudden realisation. It is roughly equivalent to "oh dear", "oh no" or "ouch".
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哎呀: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "哎呀" (oh dear, oh no, ouch (exclamation of surprise or dismay)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 34.