Dong Chinese dictionary

wa, wā

wow!

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 圭 represents the sound.

Components

口 Meaning component

kǒu

mouth

圭 Sound component

guī

jade pointed at top

哇 and 圭 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in older Chinese.

Evolution

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Regular script

Modern

Definitions

vomit; cry of an infant; replaces 啊[a] when following the vowel "u" or "ao"

wā

Wow!; sound of child's crying; sound of vomiting

Most common words with 哇

Sources