word + 啊 (a) to express certainty, agreement, and reminder
Mandarin Chinese Articles
How to use the modal particle 啊 (a) in Mandarin Chinese?
By: Lina Shen Thu Jan 04 2024
In this post, we’re going to take a look at the particle 啊 (a) that is used to express exclamation (surprise), certainty, agreement, reminding, or urgency. It can also be used to list items, or even to address someone!
Table of Contents
What are particles?
Particles are words that are added to another word, phrase, or sentenceNo definition set for sentenceLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. to indicate different supplementary meanings, grammatical relations, or moods. Particles do a lot of work in Chinese sentences. We talk about two highly functional words 吗 (ma) and 呢 (ne) in the other posts. 啊 (a) is a modal particle that is added at the end of a sentence to change the mood of the sentence.
What are the various pronunciations of 啊 (a) in Mandarin Chinese?
The particle 啊 (a) is in neutral tone, meaning that it is not marked by one of the four tones of Mandarin and its intonation is highly influenced by the words around it. In speech, you will find it has various pronunciations depending on the syllableNo definition set for syllableLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. that comes before it. This same kind of thing happens in English quite frequently. Suppose you’re telling a joke that begins like this:
“Say a dog is walking down the street…”
Can you hear the /y/ sound that precedes the word “a”? Go ahead and say this phrase out loud: “Say a.” That /y/ sound that you hear is due to your mouth and tongue transitioning from the previous vowel sound (the /eɪ/ in “say”) to the next. That’s what happens to 啊 (a). Consequently, this word is pronounced slightly differently in different phonetic contexts and thus is written with different characters. For example, 啊 is pronounced (a) but 哇 is pronounced (wa) and 呀 is pronounced (ya). But they all mean the same thing!
Let’s see how the pronunciation of 啊 (a) changes according to the sound preceding it:
Previous syllable + 啊 (a) | Modulation | Chinese characters | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
i, ü, o, e, a + a | ya | 呀 | 急啊 (jí a) → 急呀 (jí ya) 雨啊 (yǔ a) → 雨呀 (yǔ ya) 我啊 (wǒ a) → 我呀 (wǒ ya) 饿啊 (è a) → 饿呀 (è ya) 他啊 (tā a) → 他呀 (tā ya) |
u, ou, ao, iao + a | wa | 哇 | 酷啊 (kù a) → 酷哇 (kù wa) 臭啊 (chòu a) → 臭哇 (chòu wa) 好啊 (hǎo a) → 好哇 (hǎo wa) 快咬啊 (kuài yǎo a) → 快咬哇 (kuài yǎo wa) |
n + a | na | 哪 | 难啊 (nán a) → 难哪 (nán na) 新啊 (xīn a) → 新哪 (xīn na) |
i, ü, o, e, a + a | ya | 呀 | 香啊 (xiāng a) → 香啊 (xiāng a) 写字啊 (xiězì a) → 写字啊 (xiězì a) 吃啊 (chī a) → 吃啊 (chī a) 是啊 (shì a) → 是啊 (shì a) 儿啊 (ér a) → 儿啊 (ér a) |
As you read the rest of this article, take note of these various pronunciations of 啊 (a) in the examples below.
What is the particle 啊 (a) in Mandarin Chinese?
啊 (a) is a word that is spoken with a sharp intake or exhalation of breath, hence the sound “ah.” It is spoken in moments of astonishment, and it adds surprise, certainty, urgency, or a reminder to an expression. Basically, it’s like an exclamation point in the form of a character.
This word can be used in innumerable situations, from delight over your child’s perfect test score (真棒啊! (zhēn bàng a, so great!)) to listing each item of enumeration:
我爱吃他做的中餐, 包子啊, 饺子啊，鸡蛋汤啊, 很好吃!
(Wǒ ài chī tā zuò de zhōngcān, bāozi a, jiǎozi a, jīdàn tāng a, hěn hǎochī.)
I like the Chinese food he makes, such as Baozi, dumplings, and egg soup.
In all cases, the usages of 啊 (a) are discussed in this post.
How to use the particle 啊 (a) to express surprise?
啊 (a) is added at the end of a statement to show surprise. The meaning of this statement will not change if 啊 (a) is dropped. Consider this sentence:
好臭哇!
(Hǎo chòu wa!)
Oh, how stinky!
In this example, if 啊 (a) is dropped, the meaning of the sentence still indicates that something is stinky. But with 啊 (a) added in the end of the statement, we can imagine that the speaker is unpleasantly surprised.
Let’s look at more examples:
这里真好哇！
(Zhèli zhěn hǎo wa!)
It's so great here!
汉语的发音真难哪！
(Hànyǔ de fāyīn zhēn nán na!)
Chinese is hard to pronounce!
你的家很漂亮啊！
(Nǐ de jiā hěn piàoliang a!)
Your house is so pretty!
北京的冬天真冷啊！
(Běijīng de dōngtiān zhēn lěng a!)
The winter in Beijing is super cold!
我们好想你呀！
(Wǒmen hǎo xiǎng nǐ ya!)
We miss you so much!
How to use the particle 啊 (a) to express certainty, agreement, and reminders?
In combination with other words or sentences, 啊 (a) can be used to express certainty, agreement, or a reminder. This word can be used in countless situations according to the context.
Let’s look at some examples:
Word + 啊 (a) | Example |
|---|---|
Use 是啊 (shì a) to mean "indeed" | 是啊，汉语的发音很难。 (Shì a, hànyǔ de fāyīn hěn nán.) Indeed, Chinese pronunciation is hard. |
Use 对呀 (duì ya) to mean "that's right" | 对呀，我就是林老师。 (Duì ya, wǒ jiù shì lín lǎoshī.) That’s right. I am Teacher Lin. |
Use 天哪 (tiān na) to mean "oh / wow" | 天哪，十年过去了，你还是这么年青啊！ (Tiān na, shínián guòqù le, nǐ háishì zhème niánqīng a!) Wow, it's been ten years! You still look so young! |
Use 好哇 (hǎo wa) to mean "that's great" | 好哇， 我们明天见。 (Hǎo wa, wǒmen míng tiān jiàn.) Great, I will see you tomorrow. |
Use 啊 (a) to remind someone to do something | 要下雨了，你别忘了带雨衣呀！ (Yào xiàyǔ le, nǐ bié wàngle dài yǔyī ya!) It's going to rain. Don't forget to bring your rain jacket! |
How to use the particle 啊 (a) to express urgency?
啊 (a) can be placed at the end of a verb to show urgency, but not meaning that something bad will happen. Let’s look at the following examples:
Use 快 (kuài) + verb + 啊 to urge someone to do something | 快吃啊，菜要凉了。 (Kuài chī a, cài yào liáng le.) (Hurry!) Eat, the food is getting cold. |
你快走哇，我们要迟到了。 (Nǐ kuài zǒu wa, wǒmen yào chídào le.) (Hurry!) Walk fast, we are going to be late. | |
Use 小心哪 (xiǎoxīn na) to mean “be careful (or watch out) right now!” (A shout, not a gentle piece of advice) | 小心哪，别割到你的手指 (Xiǎoxīn na, bié gē dào nǐ de shǒuzhǐ.) Be careful! Don’t cut your fingers. |
How to use the particle 啊 (a) for enumeration?
啊 (a) can be added after each item in a list to enumerate. If 啊 (a) is used for enumeration, the speaker makes a strong emphasis on the items they are listing. When 啊 (a) is dropped, the meaning of the sentence remains the same.
我今天买了好多水果，苹果呀，橘子啊，李子啊，够我吃一个星期了。
(Wǒ jīntiān mǎi le hǎoduō shuǐguǒ, píngguǒ ya, júzi a, lǐzi a, gòu wǒ chī yíge xīngqī le.)
I bought lots of fruit today, (such as) apples, oranges, and plums. This is enough to last me a week.
开学之前，大家得准备好笔啊，本子呀， 铅笔盒呀，书包呀等等文具用品。
(Kāixué zhīqián, dàjiā děi zhǔnbèi hǎo bǐ ya, běnzi ya, qiānbǐ ya, shūbāo ya děngdeng wénjù yòngpǐn.)
Before school starts, everyone will need to get pens, notebooks, pencil boxes, school bags, and this sort of school supplies.
How to use the particle 啊 (a) for calling attention?
啊 (a) placed at the end of a name or a title is used to draw that person’s attention.
name + 啊 (a) | 李名啊，你怎么又迟到了？ (Lǐ Míng a, nǐ zěnme yòu chídào le?) Li Míng, how come you were late again? |
|---|---|
title + 啊 (a) | 同学们哪，少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲啊！ (Tóngxué men na, shàozhuàng bù nǔlì, lǎodà tú shāngbēi a!) Classmates, if you don't exert yourself in youth, you will regret it in old age! |
To sum up
啊 (a) is an extremely useful particle that you can put in your Mandarin sentences. Try to add 啊 (a) to your next Mandarin sentences 啊 (a)!
Usages of modal particle 啊 (a) | Example |
|---|---|
Express exclamation | 今天真热呀！ (Jīntiān zhēn rè ya!) It's so hot today! |
Express certainty, agreement, and reminder | 是啊，今天真热！ (Shì a, jīntiān zhēn rè!) Indeed, it's hot today. 行啊，我们今晚去看电影。 (Hǎo ya, wǒmen jīnwǎn qù kàn diànyǐng.) Fine, let's go watch a movie tonight. 快下雨了，你早点回来呀！ (Kuài xiàyǔ le, nǐ zǎo diǎnr huílái ya!) It’s going to rain. Come back early! |
Express urgency | 快看哪，她真漂亮啊！ (Kuài kàn na, tā zhēn piàoliang a!) Look, look! She is so pretty! |
Used for enumeration | 我给你买了好多生日礼物，拼图哇、乐高哇、玩具呀。你会喜欢的。 (Wǒ gěi nǐ mǎile hǎo duō shēngrì lǐwù, pīntú wa, lègāo wa, wánjù ya, nǐ huì xǐhuān de.) I bought you lots of birthday gifts, like puzzles, Legos, and toys. You will like them. |
Call attention | 老王啊，你还好吗？ (Lǎo wáng a, nǐ hái hǎo ma?) Lao Wang, how have you been? |
Start studying today 啊!
Check out our activities for more practice!
你准备好了吗？ (nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma, Are you ready?)
快来呀，来试试吧！ (kuài lái ya, lái shì shi ba, Come on, let’s try it!)
Downloadable Resources
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How to use the modal particle 啊 (a) in Mandarin Chinese~Activities
