The Chinese word “呀” is a particle that is often used to express surprise or emphasis. It is similar to the English words “oh” or “wow”. It can also be used to soften the tone of a sentence or to make a request sound more polite.
Translation
Particle: to express surprise or doubt
Pronunciation
Example Sentences
| Chinese | Pinyin | Engish |
|---|---|---|
| 看，那边有只小狗呀！ | kàn, nà biān yǒu zhī xiǎo gǒu ya! | Look, there’s a little dog over there! |
| 你要来吃饭呀？ | nǐ yào lái chīfàn ya? | Are you coming to eat? |
| 她的生日快到了呀！ | tā de shēngrì kuài dàole ya! | Her birthday is coming soon! |
| 好热呀，我要喝水 | hǎo rè ya, wǒ yào hē shuǐ | It’s so hot, I need to drink water |
| 快看，那里有只小鸟呀！ | kuài kàn, nàlǐ yǒu zhī xiǎo niǎo ya! | Look, there’s a little bird over there! |
| 你喜欢吃这个呀？ | nǐ xǐhuān chī zhège ya? | Do you like to eat this? |
| 我们要走了呀，再见！ | wǒmen yào zǒule ya, zàijiàn! | We’re leaving now, goodbye! |
| 她唱歌真好听呀！ | tā chànggē zhēn hǎotīng ya! | She sings really well! |
HSK
呀 is part of HSK Level 4 in both HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0.
Learning Card
