唷

yō, yo
口 + 育

Definitions

yō (interjection expressing surprise) Oh!; My!
yo final particle expressing exhortation, admiration etc

Etymology

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

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 育

About

The character 唷 is primarily an interjection used to express surprise, realization, or mild distress. It is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side semantic radical 口 (kǒu, mouth) categorizes it as a vocalization, while the right-side component 育 (yù) serves only as a phonetic indicator for pronunciation, without contributing its meaning of "to raise" or "educate". As a particle mapping a colloquial sound to written form, it lacks complex historical derivation or abstract meanings beyond its use as an emotional exclamation.

Example Sentences Hide

他哎唷地叫了。

Tā āi yō de jiào le.

He cried out "ouch".

哎唷，我忘了带钥匙。

Āi yō, wǒ wàng le dài yàoshi.

Oh no, I forgot to bring the key.

喔唷，这么贵呀！

Ō yō, zhème guì ya!

Wow, so expensive!

她看到虫子时哎唷了一声。

Tā kàn dào chóngzi shí āi yō le yī shēng.

She let out an "ew" when she saw the bug.

孩子摔倒了，哎唷哎唷地哭。

Háizi shuāi dǎo le, āi yō āi yō de kū.

The child fell down and cried "ouch ouch".

听到这个消息，他喔唷了一下。

Tīng dào zhège xiāoxi, tā ō yō le yīxià.

Upon hearing this news, he exclaimed "oh".

哎唷，你可别说，这事真奇怪。

Āi yō, nǐ kě bié shuō, zhè shì zhēn qíguài.

Oh, don't mention it, this thing is really strange.

他一边揉着膝盖，一边哎唷哎唷地抱怨着。

Tā yībiān róu zhe xīgài, yībiān āi yō āi yō de bàoyuàn zhe.

While rubbing his knee, he complained with "ouches".

Related Characters

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Component: 育

撤 辙 澈 堉 徹 淯 焴 轍

Example Words

哎唷