唉

ài
#2,087 most
frequent character
alas, oh dear

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

唉 starts from 口, the mouth, as its meaning part, with 矣 yǐ supplying the sound, a loose match. It first meant the sound of answering someone, and from that came sighing. Said ài, it is an exclamation like 'Oh my!'.

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Same Characters, Different Readings

HSK 5
唉āi
interjection or grunt of agreement or recognition (e.g. yes, it's me!)

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