About
The character "嗯" is a relatively modern formation in Chinese, created to represent a specific sound rather than originating from an ancient pictograph. Its structure is a straightforward phono-semantic compound, combining the mouth radical (口) on the left to indicate its relation to sound or speech, with the component "恩" (ēn) on the right serving primarily to suggest its pronunciation. This construction clearly designates it as an interjection or particle for vocal expression. Over time, its core function has remained to phonetically capture a nasal sound, but its accepted semantic range within conversation has solidified to denote affirmation, acknowledgment, or a thoughtful pause, evolving from a simple grunt to a versatile conversational marker.
Example Sentences Hide
嗯，我知道了。
嗯，我觉得可以。
你明天来吗？嗯。
嗯，这个问题有点难。
他嗯了一声，表示同意。
我问他好不好，他只是嗯嗯啊啊的。
她考虑了一下，嗯，好吧，就这么办。
你想去旅行吗？嗯…让我想想。