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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)

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.

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
恩
恩ēn嗯ńg
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

嗯 pairs 口 (mouth) with 恩, which gives its sound; the mouth part shows it is a spoken sound.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 61000 Most Frequent Chinese Words2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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