哇
Wā
The English phrase "aww" is translated into Chinese as 哇 (Wā).
In informal contexts, it is often associated with expressions of endearment or affection, such as when someone says 好可爱 (hǎo kě ài) to mean "so cute" or 好甜 (hǎo tián) to mean "how sweet" when reacting to a thoughtful gesture.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is Wā.
Did you know?
- In Chinese digital culture, if you want to express the feeling of 'aww' toward something cute, you are more likely to use the character 呜 (wū) to mimic a whimpering or soft crying sound.
- The character 哇 is a phono-semantic compound where the 'mouth' radical denotes sound and the other part originally represented a pair of ritual jade axes.
- Depending on the tone and length, 哇 can shift from a cute 'aww' to a loud 'wow' of genuine shock or disbelief.
Examples in context
- 哇，这个小猫真可爱！Wa, zhège xiǎomāo zhēn kě'ài!Aww, this kitten is so cute!
Example conversation
Jiayi sees a photo of Junjie's new kitten.
- 佳怡 Jiayi哇，你的小猫好萌啊！Wa, nǐ de xiǎo māo hǎo méng a!Aww, your kitten is so cute!
- 俊杰 Junjie谢谢，它真的很乖。Xiè xiè, tā zhēn de hěn guāi.Thanks, it's really well-behaved.
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想抱抱它。Wǒ xiǎng bào bào tā.I want to hug it.
- 俊杰 Junjie下次你来我家看它吧。Xià cì nǐ lái wǒ jiā kàn tā ba.Come to my house and see it next time.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 哇, CC BY-SA 4.0.
