诶
éi
The Chinese word for "eh" is 诶 (éi).
The term 诶 is used as an interjection to request repetition or clarification when you have not heard or understood something, functioning similarly to "huh?" or "what?" in English.
Meaning: request for repetition or clarification (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is éi.
Did you know?
- Depending on the tone, 诶 can change from a confused 'what?' to a casual 'yes' or 'I am here' when someone calls your name.
- The character 诶 was simplified from the traditional form 誒, which originally contained the 'speech' radical to indicate its role as a vocalization.
- In many Chinese dialects, the sound 诶 is used as a 'filler' word at the end of a sentence to soften a command or make a statement sound more suggestive.
Examples in context
- 诶，你说什么？ēi, nǐ shuō shénme?Eh, what did you say?
- 诶，你刚才说什么来着？ēi, nǐ gāngcái shuō shénme láizhe?Eh, what were you saying just a moment ago?
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting in a noisy cafe.
- 雨婷 Yuting明天我们十点见。Míngtiān wǒmen shí diǎn jiàn.Let's meet at ten tomorrow.
- 伟 Wei诶？几点？Éi? Jǐ diǎn?Eh? What time?
- 雨婷 Yuting我说十点。Wǒ shuō shí diǎn.I said ten o'clock.
- 伟 Wei好的，没问题。Hǎo de, méi wèntí.Okay, no problem.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 诶, CC BY-SA 4.0.
