(ài) - oh dear, alas; a sigh of regret or resignation in Mandarin
àiTraditional: 唉
Translation
oh dear, alas; a sigh of regret or resignation
Word origin
A phono-semantic character: 口 (kǒu, mouth) marks it as a sound, with 矣 supplying the reading.
- Origin
- phonetic
- Root
- 口 (kǒu, mouth) + 矣 (yǐ, phonetic)
Stroke order
唉
Examples
，。
Oh dear, it's raining again.
，。
Sigh, there's really nothing I can do.
，。
Oh, don't even mention it.
，。
Ugh, if I'd known I wouldn't have come.
，。
Oh dear, he still hasn't turned up.
唉 (ài) is a sigh written down. It opens a sentence and colours everything after it with regret, weariness or resignation: bad news, a plan gone wrong, a situation nobody can fix.
Tone matters here more than usual. Read with a falling fourth tone it is the sigh above. Read as 唉 (āi), first tone, the same character is a quick "yeah" or "coming" in answer to your name being called. Same character, opposite mood, so listen for the pitch.
It is close cousin to 哎 (āi) and 哎呀 (āi yā), which express surprise or mild alarm rather than resignation. Rough rule: 哎呀 is "oops", 唉 is "oh well".
Where this fits
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唉: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "唉" (oh dear, alas; a sigh of regret or resignation): 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 41.