Aiya! How to Master China's Most Expressive Phrase

The Chinese word 哎呀 (āi yā) doesn’t have a literal meaning or any grammatical value but is used very often in speaking as interjection or exclamation. That's because it's incredibly malleable, and depending on the context can be used to express everything from annoyance to admiration, agreement, amazement, blame, embarrassment, dissatisfaction, frustration, impatience, modesty, pain, regret, sarcasm, shock, surprise, wonder, etc. ... the list is as long as human emotion allows.

Most practically, it can also be used to mitigate and ease a tense situation. Below we list the many ways in which this wonderfully versatile and rather addictive little phrase can be used.

Literal translation

Ah; oh; ugh; ouch; why; damn; my god; gosh; hey!

Synonyms

哎哟，唉哟，哎唷，唉唷 āi yō，啊呀 ā ya

Set expressions

哎呀妈呀 āiya māya Mamma mia! (to emphasize the emotion)

哎呀我的天呐 āiyā wǒ de tiān nà Oh my god! (to show shock or extreme surprise)

Example sentences

To show annoyance:

哎呀，蚊子太多了！āiyā, wénzi tài duō le!

Ugh, there are too many mosquitoes!

To show admiration:

哎呀，你的钢琴弹得太好了！āiyā, nǐ de gāngqín dàn dé tài hǎole!

Wow, you play the piano so well!

To show agreement or positivity:

哎呀，这个主意不错！āiyā, zhège zhǔyì bùcuò!

Ah, that’s a great idea!

To show amazement:

哎呀！ 这南瓜长得好大呀！āiyā! zhè nánguā zhǎng dé hào dà ya!

Wow, this pumpkin is huge!

To show blame:

哎呀，你怎么搞的？āiyā, nǐ zěnme gǎo de?

Hey! What’s wrong with you?

哎呀，你怎么来这么晚？āiyā, nǐ zěnme lái zhème wǎn?

Hey, why are you so late?

To show embarrassment:

哎呀，过奖了！āiyā, guòjiǎngle!

Ah, I’m flattered!

To show dissatisfaction:

哎呀，这个电影真不怎么样，简直是浪费时间！āiyā, zhège diànyǐng zhēn bù zěnme yàng, jiǎnzhí shì làngfèi shíjiān!

Oh, it’s a terrible movie. What a waste of time!

To show frustration:

哎呀，我又忘带钥匙了。āiyā, wǒ yòu wàng dài yàoshi le.

Shit, I forget my keys again.

To show impatience:

哎呀，你就少说两句吧！āiyā, nǐ jiù shǎo shuō liǎng jù ba!

Hey, shut up!

To show modesty:

哎呀，这不全是我一个人的功劳! āiyā, zhè bùquán shì wǒ yīgè rén de gōngláo.

Ah, I can’t take all the credit!

To show pain:

哎呀妈呀，疼死我了! āiyā mā ya, téng sǐ wǒ le!

Ow, it hurts so much!

To show sarcasm:

哎呀，没想到你还挺有同情心的嘛！āiyā, méi xiǎngdào nǐ hái tǐng yǒu tóngqíng xīn de ma!

Ah, I didn't expect you to have so much sympathy!

To show surprise:

哎呀，没想到这么巧！āiyā, méi xiǎngdào zhème qiǎo!

Wow, what a coincidence!

To show shock:

哎呀我的天呐，没想到事情发生得这么突然！āiyā wǒ de tiān nà, méi xiǎngdào shìqíng fāshēng dé zhème túrán!

Oh my god, I didn't expect things to happen so suddenly!

To show wonder:

哎呀，他这是怎么了？āiyā, tā zhè shì zěnmeliǎo?

Oh, what happened to him?

To get attention:

哎呀，快来看呀！āiyā, kuài lái kàn ya!

Hey, come here!

For general exclamations:

哎呀，这件事情可千万不能让外人知道！āiyā, zhè jiàn shìqíng kě qiān wàn bùnéng ràng wàirén zhīdào!

Oh my god, keep this to yourself, please!

To mitigate a negation:

哎呀，这事儿也不能全怪他。 āiyā, zhè shì er yě bùnéng quán guài tā.

Alas, he is not the only one to blame.

To mitigate a tense situation:

哎呀，多大点事！āiyā, duōdà diǎn shì!

C'mon, it's not a big deal!

哎呀，这也是没办法的事！āiyā, zhè yěshì méi bànfǎ de shì!

Alas, there are no better options!

To whinge or 撒娇 sājiāo (in this case can be pronounced as rising tone āiyá):

哎呀，你就陪我一起去吧！āiyá, nǐ jiù péi wǒ yīqǐ qù ba!

Please, come with me!

READ: Navigating the Mental Minefield That is Chinese Kinship Terms

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Email: kuang@thebeijinger.com

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