呃
è
The Chinese way to say "uhh" is 呃 (è).
The sound 呃 is used as a filler to indicate hesitation, a pause in thought or uncertainty during a conversation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, some individuals might use the phrases 那個啦 (nà ge la) or 那個噢 (nà ge ò) to express hesitation.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is è.
Did you know?
- The phonetic part of the character 呃 is the same as the character 厄, which means 'disaster' or 'misfortune'.
- In online chat and social media, sending a single 呃 as a reply often signals that the speaker is 'speechless' or finds a situation awkward.
- The character 呃 shares a linguistic root with the Zhuang word ngaek, which means 'to take advantage of someone'.
Examples in context
- 呃，我不太确定。È, wǒ bù tài quèdìng.Uhh, I'm not quite sure.
- 呃，让我想一下。È, ràng wǒ xiǎng yīxià.Uhh, let me think for a moment.
- 呃，这个很难说。È, zhège hěn nán shuō.Uhh, that's hard to say.
Example conversation
Zihan asks Wei for his opinion on a restaurant.
- 梓涵 Zihan伟，你觉得这家餐厅怎么样？Wěi, nǐ juédé zhè jiā cāntīng zěnmeyàng?Wei, what do you think of this restaurant?
- 伟 Wei呃，我觉得味道还不错。È, wǒ juédé wèidào hái bùcuò.Uhh, I think the flavor is quite good.
- 梓涵 Zihan那你觉得价格贵吗？Nà nǐ juédé jiàgé guì ma?Then do you think the prices are expensive?
- 伟 Wei呃，稍微有一点点贵。È, shāowéi yǒu yī diǎndiǎn guì.Uhh, it's a little bit expensive.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 呃, CC BY-SA 4.0.
