咦 meaning and stroke order
Exclamation of surprise
How to write 咦, stroke by stroke
9 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 咦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- expression of surprise
How 咦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 夷 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 咦
A mouth 口 on the left shows this is a sound you make, and 夷 (yí) on the right gives the sound yí. Picture your mouth popping open to say yí when something surprises you.
咦 (yí) is an interjection used at the start of a sentence when you notice something unexpected or puzzling, like English "huh?" or "hey, wait." It is common in casual speech and in written dialogue. Example: 咦，我的钥匙呢？ (Yí, wǒ de yàoshi ne?) Huh, where are my keys?
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say it with a falling or flat tone, but it is second tone yí, rising like a question. Also do not confuse it with 姨 (yí, aunt), which has the same sound and right side but uses 女 instead of 口.
咦 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 咦
How many strokes are in 咦?
咦 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 咦 mean?
咦 (yí) means exclamation of surprise.
How do you pronounce 咦?
咦 is pronounced yí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 咦?
The radical of 咦 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 咦 under this radical.
What is the difference between 咦 and 哎 or 啊 for surprise?
咦 (yí) shows mild surprise mixed with puzzlement, as when something is not what you expected. 啊 (á or à) is a broader reaction, and 哎 (āi) often calls attention or shows mild regret. Use 咦 when you are thinking "that's strange."
Can 咦 be used in formal writing?
Not usually. It belongs to spoken language, so you will see it in dialogue, comics, chats, and stories rather than in reports or essays.