嗯
èn/ŋ̍³⁵/
In Chinese, 嗯 (èn) is the way to say mhm.
嗯 is a common informal way to express agreement or to acknowledge that you are listening to someone, much like the English sound 'mhm'.
Which one should you use?
While 嗯 is typically used to show agreement, it can function as a question meaning 'Huh?' or 'What?' if it is pronounced with a rising tone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
嗯 is an informal sound. Using only 嗯 as a response in text-based communication is very informal and can sometimes come across as blunt or indifferent if it is not accompanied by other words.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is èn and the IPA is /ŋ̍³⁵/.
Did you know?
- The character 嗯 is a phono-semantic compound that combines the radical for 'mouth' 口 with the character 恩, which means 'grace' or 'kindness'.
- While English speakers use 'mhm' to show interest, a long, drawn-out 嗯 in Chinese can actually signal that the listener is losing interest or is bored.
- In modern digital slang, repeating the character as 嗯嗯 softens the tone, making the speaker sound more enthusiastic or polite than a single 嗯.
Examples in context
- 嗯，我知道了。ǹg, wǒ zhī dào le.Mhm, I see.
- 嗯，你说得对。ǹg, nǐ shuō de duì.Mhm, you are right.
- 嗯，我也这么觉得。ǹg, wǒ yě zhěn me jué de.Mhm, I think so too.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a movie plan.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们明天去看电影吗？wǒ men míng tiān qù kàn diàn yǐng ma?Shall we go see a movie tomorrow?
- 浩然 Haoran嗯，好啊。ǹg, hǎo a.Mhm, sure.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你想看动作片吗？nǐ xiǎng kàn dòng zuò piàn ma?Do you want to see an action movie?
- 浩然 Haoran嗯，没问题。ǹg, méi wèn tí.Mhm, no problem.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 嗯, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 嗯, CC BY-SA 4.0.
