啊 meaning and stroke order
Modal particle ending sentence, showing affirmation, approval, or consent
How to write 啊, stroke by stroke
10 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 啊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- interjection of surprise
- Ah!
- Oh!
- interjection expressing doubt or requiring answer
- Eh?
- what?
- interjection of surprise or doubt
- Eh?
- My!
- what's up?
- interjection or grunt of agreement
- uhm
- Ah, OK
- expression of recognition
- Oh, it's you!
How 啊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 阿 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 啊
A mouth 口 next to 阿 (ā), which gives the sound. Picture a mouth opening wide to say "ah" when something catches you off guard.
As a neutral-tone particle (a) at the end of a sentence, 啊 softens tone, adds warmth, or shows emphasis or surprise. On its own, its tone changes the meaning, from ā (surprise) to á (asking someone to repeat) to à (agreement or recognition). Example: 好啊 (hǎo a) Sure, okay.
Common mistake: Learners often say every 啊 with the same flat tone, but á (rising) means "Huh? What?" while à (falling) means "Oh, I see." Mixing these up can make you sound confused when you meant to agree.
Common words with 啊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 啊呀 | āyā | interjection of surprise; Oh my! |
啊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 啊
How many strokes are in 啊?
啊 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 啊 mean?
啊 (a) means modal particle ending sentence, showing affirmation, approval, or consent. A common word with it is 啊呀 (āyā), meaning "interjection of surprise; Oh my!".
How do you pronounce 啊?
啊 is pronounced a, in the neutral tone (short and light).
What is the radical of 啊?
The radical of 啊 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 啊 under this radical.
Is 啊 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 啊 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Why does 啊 sometimes sound like ya or wa?
In speech, 啊 blends with the sound before it. After a word ending in i or ü it often becomes ya, written 呀, as in 你呀 (nǐ ya). After u or o it becomes wa, written 哇, as in 好哇 (hǎo wa).
What is the difference between 啊 and 吗 at the end of a question?
吗 (ma) turns a statement into a yes or no question. 啊 does not make a question by itself. It only adds a softer or more emotional tone to a question that already has a question word, as in 你去哪儿啊 (nǐ qù nǎr a) Where are you going?