How to say “alas!” in Chinese
alas! (sigh)
“Alas!” in Chinese is 唉, ài: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
唉 is read ài. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 口 “mouth”: a sigh is a sound of the voice.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “唉”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 唉. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 唉，又下雨了。ài,yòuxiàyǔleUgh, it's raining again.
- 唉，别提了，没考好。ài,biétíle,méikǎohǎoUgh, don't ask — it went badly.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Setbacks”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “alas!” in Chinese?
“Alas!” in Chinese is 唉, pinyin ài.
What does 唉 mean?
唉 (ài) means “alas! (sigh)”.
How do you write 唉?
唉 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 唉?
唉 is read ài. Tones: ài — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“alas!” in the lesson “Setbacks”
This word is from the topic “Feelings” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free