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哎哟 (āi yō) — (interjection) ow, ouch (expressing pain); (interjection) hey, oh (expressing surprise or sudden realization)

Definition

哎哟 (āi yō) is a casual interjection used to react to sudden pain ("ow!") or surprise / a small realization ("oh!", "hey!"). It is purely spoken — not used in formal writing.

interjection
owouch (expressing pain)heyoh (expressing surprise or sudden realization)

Examples

  • 哎哟！！
    āi yō! Hǎo téng!
    Ow! That hurts!
  • 哎哟，？
    āi yō, Nǐ zěn me zài zhè r?
    Hey, what are you doing here?
  • 哎哟！。
    āi yō! Wǒ wàng le dài yào shi.
    Oh! I forgot to bring the keys.

Origin

Characters in this word

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
艾
艾ài哎āi
Same sound today

哎 pairs 口 (mouth), showing it is a spoken exclamation, with 艾, which gives the sound.

Open 哎 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 哟 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & Feelings

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