啊

ā, á, ǎ, à, a
口 + 阿
HSK 2.0Level 3
HSK 3.0Level 2

Definitions

a (particle) modal particle used at end of sentence for approval; affirmation
ā (interjection) ah; oh (expressing surprise)
á (interjection) eh? (expressing doubt or requesting clarification)
à (interjection) ah; mm (expressing agreement or recognition)
ǎ (interjection) huh?; eh? (expressing surprise or doubt)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 阿 represents the sound.

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 阿

About

啊 is a phono-semantic compound: the mouth radical 口 on the left signals its vocal nature, and the phonetic 阿 on the right provides the sound. It functions as an interjection or modal particle. Over time, it has developed multiple pronunciations and tones. These variations allow it to express emotions such as surprise, sudden realization, approval, or a gentle questioning tone. The interpretation depends on context, whether the character appears independently or at the end of a sentence.

Example Sentences Hide

你好啊朋友。

Nǐ hǎo a péngyou.

Hello, friend.

这是谁的书啊？

Zhè shì shéi de shū a?

Whose book is this?

今天的天气真好啊！

Jīntiān de tiānqì zhēn hǎo a!

The weather today is really good!

如果你不来，我会失望啊。

Rúguǒ nǐ bù lái, wǒ huì shīwàng a.

If you don't come, I will be disappointed.

他虽然累了，但还是坚持工作啊。

Tā suīrán lèi le, dàn háishì jiānchí gōngzuò a.

Although he is tired, he still persists in working.

这个问题确实很难解决啊。

Zhège wèntí quèshí hěn nán jiějué a.

This problem is indeed very difficult to solve.

原来你早就知道了啊！

Yuánlái nǐ zǎo jiù zhīdào le a!

So you already knew it long ago!

尽管遇到很多困难，我们还是要继续前进啊。

Jǐnguǎn yùdào hěnduō kùnnán, wǒmen háishì yào jìxù qiánjìn a.

Although we encounter many difficulties, we still have to continue moving forward.

Related Characters

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Component: 阿

婀 锕 屙 娿 痾 錒

Example Words

啊呀 啊哟 天啊