TongTong
Sign in

呃 (è) — (interjection) uh, um (used to indicate hesitation, doubt, or a pause in speech)

Definition

呃 (è) is a hesitation interjection: a spoken filler meaning "uh" or "um" that buys the speaker a moment to think, without adding any meaning to the sentence.

interjection
uhum (used to indicate hesitation, doubt, or a pause in speech)

Examples

  • 呃，。
    è, Ràng wǒ xiǎng xiǎng zhè ge wèn tí.
    Uh, let me think about this question.
  • 呃，，。
    è, Nǐ shuō de duì, dàn shì hái yǒu yì diǎn xū yào kǎo lǜ.
    Um, you're right, but there's one more thing to consider.
  • 呃，……。
    è, Zhè ge…… wǒ yě bú tài què dìng.
    Uh, this… I'm not too sure either.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
厄
厄è呃è
Same sound today

呃 pairs 口 (mouth) with 厄, which supplies the sound è.

Appears in
500 Most Frequent Chinese Words1000 Most Frequent Chinese Words2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.