哑 (yā): (onom.) sound of cawing, sound of infant learning to talk, mute, dumb, incapable of speech
哑 (yā) is a Chinese character meaning “(onom.) sound of cawing.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 口 (semantic) and 亚 (phonetic). It ranks #2298 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 哑 mouth. Its radical form 口 (mouth) appears in many related characters such as 口 (kǒu, mouth), 叫 (jiào, to call, to be called), 右 (yòu, (bound form) right).
Definitions
- (onom.) sound of cawing
- sound of infant learning to talk
- mute
- dumb
- incapable of speech
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 哑 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 哑巴noun | yǎ ba | a mute |
| 哑剧noun | yǎ jù | pantomime |
| 沙哑adjective | shā yǎ | hoarse |
| 聋哑人noun | lóng yǎ rén | a deaf and mute person |
| 哑铃noun | yǎ líng | dumbbell (weight) |
| 聋哑adjective | lóng yǎ | deaf and nonverbal |
| 哑谜 | yǎ mí | puzzle |
| 装聋作哑phrase | zhuāng lóng zuò yǎ | to play deaf-mute |
| 嘶哑adjective | sī yǎ | (onom.) coarse crowing |
| 哑语noun | yǎ yǔ | sign language |
| 哑弹 | yǎ dàn | dud |
| 哑然失笑 | yǎ rán shī xiào | to laugh involuntarily |
| 吃哑巴亏verb | chī yǎ ba kuī | to be forced to suffer in silence |
| 哑巴吃黄连,有苦说不出 | yǎ ba chī huáng lián , yǒu kǔ shuō bu chū | to be forced to suffer in silence (idiom) |
| 哑口无言phrase | yǎ kǒu wú yán | dumbstruck and unable to reply (idiom) |
哑 appears in 30 compound words: 60 as the first character, 20 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 哑 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
Example Sentences
请哑下这杯茶,解解渴再继续工作。
qǐng yā xià zhè bēi chá , xiè xiè kě zài jì xù gōng zuò .
Please take a sip of this tea to quench your thirst before continuing your work.
按键这边,采用哑光银配色并且个头饱满圆润,但都有一点非常轻微的松垮和晃动。
àn jiàn zhè biān , cǎi yòng yā guāng yín pèi sè bìng qiě gè tóu bǎo mǎn yuán rùn , dàn dōu yǒu yī diǎn fēi cháng qīng wēi de sōng kuǎ hé huǎng dòng .
The buttons feature a matte silver finish and have a plump, rounded shape, but they all exhibit a very slight amount of play and wobble.
整体的形状像个哑铃。
zhěng tǐ de xíng zhuàng xiàng gè yā líng .
The overall shape resembles a dumbbell.
壳是亲肤的哑光材质,手感顺滑,相机按钮和开孔等细节也有着很好的做工。
qiào shì qīn fū de yā guāng cái zhì , shǒu gǎn shùn huá , xiāng jī àn niǔ hé kāi kǒng děng xì jié yě yǒu zhe hěn hǎo de zuò gōng .
The case is made of a skin-friendly matte material that feels smooth to the touch, and the camera buttons, cutouts, and other details are also very well crafted.
后续你可以继续叠加欧缇丽控油哑光乳使用,利用硅石和木薯淀粉来吸附油脂,实现物理控油。
hòu xù nǐ kě yǐ jì xù dié jiā ōu 缇 lí kòng yóu yā guāng rǔ shǐ yòng , lì yòng 硅 shí hé mù shǔ diàn fěn lái xī fù yóu zhī , shí xiàn wù lǐ kòng yóu .
Afterward, you can follow up with the Eutique Oil-Control Matte Lotion, which uses silica and tapioca starch to absorb excess oil and provide physical oil control.
...白春节鹿港老街卖饼 累到双耳耳鸣、声音沙哑
. . . bái chūn jié lù gǎng lǎo jiē mài bǐng lěi dào shuāng ěr ěr míng , shēng yīn shā yā
... Selling cakes in Lukang Old Street during the Spring Festival is so tired that my ears have tinnitus and my voice is hoarse
海伦凯勒眼盲,耳聋,又哑。
Hǎilún kǎi lè yǎn máng, ěrlóng, yòu yā.
Helen Keller was blind, deaf and dumb.
聋哑的人用手语说话。
Lóngyǎ de rén yòng shǒuyǔ shuōhuà.
Deaf-mute people talk using sign language.
他们全都叫到沙哑了。
Tāmen quándōu jiào dào shāyǎ le.
They were all hoarse from shouting.
她注视着一个不明飞行物,哑口无言。
Tā zhùshì zhe yī gè bùmíngfēixíngwù, yǎkǒuwúyán.
She stared at a UFO in silence.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 哑 (yā) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 哑 and 恶?
How many strokes does 哑 have?
What is the radical of 哑?
What are the components of 哑?
What are common words containing 哑?
What characters sound the same as 哑 (yā)?
Is 哑 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 哑 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.