About
The character "哟" originated as a colloquial phonetic particle in relatively recent times, derived from the earlier and now less common character "唷". Its structure consistently combines the mouth radical (口) on the left, denoting a sound or exclamation, with the component "约" on the right, which primarily serves a phonetic function to suggest its pronunciation. Initially functioning as an interjection to express slight surprise or to draw attention, its usage has expanded within modern Mandarin to frequently act as a sentence-final particle that softens a statement, often imparting a tone of prompting, reminding, or gentle emphasis. The traditional form of this character is "喲", which simplifies the right-hand component from "約" to "约", but its core function and phonetic basis remain unchanged across both forms.
Example Sentences Hide
哎哟，我的头好疼。
时间不早了哟。
你别忘了哟。
这道题可真难哟。
大家快来帮忙哟！
你瞧，那朵花多美哟。
想不到你还有这一手哟。
要是早知道这样，我就不来了哟。