呀 meaning and stroke order
(particle equivalent to 啊 after a vowel, expressing surprise or doubt)
How to write 呀, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 呀
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (particle equivalent to 啊 after a vowel, expressing surprise or doubt)
- ah (used to express surprise)
- (onom.) creaking
How 呀 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 牙 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 呀
呀 is a mouth 口 next to 牙 (yá, tooth), which gives the sound. Picture someone opening their mouth so wide in surprise that you can see their teeth as they say "ya".
In its neutral tone, ya is the particle 啊 (a) after a word ending in a vowel, so it softens questions, exclamations and requests. As yā it is an interjection of surprise, and it also appears in common exclamations like 哎呀 (āiyā). Example: 你去哪儿呀？(Nǐ qù nǎr ya?) Where are you going?
Common mistake: Learners often write 牙 (yá, tooth) or 鸭 (yā, duck) when they mean the particle 呀. The particle always has the 口 mouth radical on the left. Learners also read the end-of-sentence particle with a full first tone, but it should be light and neutral.
Common words with 呀
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 哎呀 | āiyā | interjection of wonder, shock or admiration | HSK 7-9 |
| 天呀 | tiānya | Heavens!; My goodness! | |
| 啊呀 | āyā | interjection of surprise; Oh my! |
呀 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 呀
How many strokes are in 呀?
呀 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 呀 mean?
呀 (ya) means (particle equivalent to 啊 after a vowel, expressing surprise or doubt). A common word with it is 哎呀 (āiyā), meaning "interjection of wonder, shock or admiration".
How do you pronounce 呀?
呀 is pronounced ya, in the neutral tone (short and light).
What is the radical of 呀?
The radical of 呀 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 呀 under this radical.
Is 呀 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 呀 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
When should I use 呀 instead of 啊?
呀 usually replaces 啊 when the word before it ends in a vowel such as a, e, i, o or ü, because the sounds blend together. For example, 是你呀 (shì nǐ ya) sounds more natural than 是你啊. In casual speech many people use either one, so this is a tendency, not a strict rule.
Does 呀 sound childish or cute?
呀 can make a sentence sound softer, friendlier and a little more lively. It is very common in everyday speech and online chat, especially among younger speakers. In formal writing it is usually left out.