哎 āi interjection of surprise
interjection of surprise; hey!
How to remember 哎: 口 mouth + 艾 mugwort = interjection of surprise. Grandma opens her mouth wide when she finds the kids picked her mugwort for a salad, and lets out an interjection of surprise.
Component breakdown
哎 = 口 mouth + 艾 mugwort
- 口 mouth
- 艾 mugwort
Grandma opens her mouth wide when she finds the kids picked her mugwort for a salad, and lets out an interjection of surprise.
How it is used
- Interjection placed at the start of a sentence to grab attention or show mild surprise: 哎,你怎么在这儿? (āi, nǐ zěnme zài zhèr?) - "Hey, what are you doing here?"
- Stronger version 哎呀 (āiyā) expresses surprise or mild exasperation, and 哎哟 (āiyō) expresses pain ("ouch").
- Distinct from 唉 (āi), which sighs with resignation rather than calling out in surprise.
- Very spoken/casual - rarely appears in formal writing.