嗯 (ǹg) — (interjection) expressing agreement, acknowledgment (mm-hmm, okay); (interjection) expressing doubt or question (huh?, what?); (interjection) expressing hesitation or thinking (um, well)
Definition
嗯 is a casual filler/response sound, not a real word. Tone and length shift the meaning: short and rising shows doubt or question ('huh?'), while a longer or falling tone shows agreement ('mm-hmm') or thinking ('um').
interjection
expressing agreementacknowledgment (mm-hmm, okay)expressing doubt or question (huh?, what?)expressing hesitation or thinking (um, well)
Easily confused
Examples
- 嗯，，。ǹg, Hǎo de, wǒ mǎ shàng dào.Okay, I'll be right there.
- 嗯？？ǹg? Nǐ gāng shuō shén me?Huh? What did you just say?
- 嗯，。ǹg, Ràng wǒ zài xiǎng xiǎng.Um, let me think about it a bit more.
Appears in
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