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哎呀

āi yā
HSK 3.0 Level 5 Interjection Common

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Definitions

  1. 1. interjection of wonder, shock or admiration

Word relationships

Register variants

1 item
哇
wā

Wow!

informal exclamation of wonder, less expressive than 哎呀

Related words

2 items
天哪
tiān na

Good gracious!

exclamation of shock or wonder
哦
ò

oh (interjection indicating that one has just learned sth)

interjection indicating sudden understanding or realization

Synonyms

1 item
哎哟
āi yō

hey

used to express sudden pain or surprise

Usage notes

Common mistakes

Use 哎呀 for strong emotional reactions, not mild surprise; overusing it in formal contexts may sound dramatic.

Formality

Informal; avoid in writing or formal speech; use expressions like 真没想到 instead.

Example Sentences

3 shown
哎呀 ，我忘记带钥匙了。
Oh no, I forgot to bring my keys.
哎呀 ！
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 13111706)
哎呀 ......
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 405487)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 哎呀

呀
ya

(particle equivalent to 啊 after a vowel, expressing surprise or doubt)

哎
āi

hey!