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啊 (ā) — (interjection) Ah! Oh! — expresses surprise, sudden understanding, or discovery

Definition

啊 marks sudden realization, discovery, or a light exclamation — broader and more neutral than 哎/哎呀 (more surprise or dismay) and 哦 (quieter, more of an acknowledgment). Sits at the start or end of a sentence to add feeling.

interjection
Ah! Oh! — expresses surprisesudden understandingor discovery
Easily confused

Examples

  • 啊，！
    ā, Yuán lái nǐ zài zhè lǐ!
    Ah, so you're here!
  • 啊，！
    ā, Wǒ xiǎng qǐ lái le!
    Oh, I remember now!
  • 啊，！
    ā, Jīn tiān de tiān qì zhēn hǎo a!
    Ah, the weather today is really nice!

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
阿
阿ā啊a
Same sound today

啊 is built from 口 (mouth) plus 阿, which provides the sound.

Grammar

Appears in
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