啊 (interjection)
oh! ah! huh?: a cry at the start of a sentence; its tone shows the feeling
Structure
啊 ， …… · 啊 ？ ……
What it means
At the start of a sentence 啊 is a cry: “oh! ah! huh?”. Its tone carries the feeling: surprise, asking again, doubt or understanding.
How it is built
啊 + comma, ？ or ！, then the sentence: 啊，原来是你！ (oh, it’s you!, said à). 啊？你说什么？ (huh? what did you say?, said á).
When to use it
ā shows surprise or wonder (啊，这里的山真美！), á asks again, ǎ shows puzzled doubt, and à means “oh, I see” or “OK”. It is spoken; in writing you see it in dialogue.
Watch out
Don’t mix it up with the toneless 啊 (a) at the end of a sentence (h2-5), which just makes it warmer: 好啊！ The opening 啊 needs a mark right after it: ✗ 啊原来是你！ ✓ 啊，原来是你！
Examples
啊，原来是你！
Oh, it’s you! (à: “oh, I see”)
啊？你说什么？
Huh? What did you say? (á: asking again)
啊，这里的山真美！
Ah, the mountains here are beautiful! (ā: wonder)
啊？怎么会这样？
What? How can this be? (ǎ: puzzled doubt)
Learn this in HSK 4 · Lesson 8: 微信红包 (Digital red envelopes)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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