哟 meaning and stroke order
Ah, final particle
How to write 哟, 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 哟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- Oh! (interjection indicating slight surprise)
- also pr. [yao1]
- (sentence-final particle expressing exhortation)
- (syllable filler in a song)
How 哟 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 约 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 哟
哟 is a mouth 口 next to 约 (yuē), which gives the sound. Picture a mouth letting out a quick yō when something catches you a little by surprise.
As yō, it is an interjection of mild surprise, often at the start of a sentence. In the neutral tone (yo), it sits at the end of a sentence to make an urging or friendly tone, and it also fills syllables in songs. Example: 哟，你来了。(Yō, nǐ lái le.) Oh, you're here.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 哟 with 呦 (yōu), which also has 口 and is used in some similar exclamations, but 哎哟 (āiyō) is written with 哟. Another trap is reading 约 inside it as yuē; the whole character is yō or yo, not yuē.
Common words with 哟
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 哎哟 | āiyō | hey; ow |
哟 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 哟
How many strokes are in 哟?
哟 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 哟 mean?
哟 (yō) means ah, final particle. A common word with it is 哎哟 (āiyō), meaning "hey; ow".
How do you pronounce 哟?
哟 is pronounced yō, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 哟?
The radical of 哟 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 哟 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 哟?
The traditional form of 哟 is 喲. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 哟 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 哎哟 mean and when do people say it?
哎哟 (āiyō) is what people say when they feel sudden pain, like ow, or when they are surprised or annoyed, like oh no. For example, 哎哟，好疼。(Āiyō, hǎo téng.) Ow, that hurts.
Is 哟 always pronounced yō?
No. As a surprised interjection it is yō, and some speakers also say yāo. As a sentence-final particle or a song filler it is usually said lightly in the neutral tone, yo.