暧 meaning and stroke order
Obscure, dim; ambiguous, vague
How to write 暧, stroke by stroke
14 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 暧
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (of daylight) dim
- obscure
- clandestine
- dubious
How 暧 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sun.
日 gives the meaning and 爱 hints at the sound.
Radical: 日 (sun), shared by 116 characters on this site.
How to remember 暧
The sun 日 on the left gives the meaning of light, and 爱 (ài) on the right gives the sound. Picture the sun hidden behind a haze of love, so the light is dim and things look unclear.
暧 almost never appears alone. It lives in the word 暧昧 (àimèi), which describes something vague or ambiguous, and very often a relationship that is more than friends but not officially dating. Example: 他们俩的关系很暧昧。(Tāmen liǎ de guānxì hěn àimèi.) The relationship between those two is ambiguous.
Common mistake: Learners often write 爱 alone or use the wrong left side, such as 嗳 (ài, with 口) or 瑷 (ài, with 王). For 暧昧 both characters take the sun radical 日, so check that 暧 and 昧 each have 日 on the left.
Common words with 暧
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 暧昧 | àimèi | vague; ambiguous |
暧 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 暧
How many strokes are in 暧?
暧 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 暧 mean?
暧 (ài) means obscure, dim; ambiguous, vague. A common word with it is 暧昧 (àimèi), meaning "vague; ambiguous".
How do you pronounce 暧?
暧 is pronounced ài, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 暧?
The radical of 暧 is 日, which carries the idea of "sun". Dictionaries list 暧 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 暧?
The traditional form of 暧 is 曖. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 暧 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Does 暧昧 always have a romantic meaning?
No. It can mean vague or unclear in general, such as an ambiguous attitude (态度暧昧, tàidu àimèi). In everyday modern speech, though, people very often use it for flirty, undefined relationships.
What is the difference between 暧昧 and 模糊?
模糊 (móhu) means blurry or unclear in a neutral, physical, or factual way, like a blurry photo. 暧昧 suggests something deliberately unclear or suspicious, especially in attitudes or relationships.