Dong Chinese dictionary

āi, ài

alas

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

Components

口 Meaning component

kǒu

mouth

矣 Sound component

yǐ

particle of completed action

Evolution

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Regular script

Modern

Definitions

āi

alas, exclamation of surprise or pain; interjection or grunt of agreement or recognition (e.g. yes, it's me!); to sigh

ài

alas; oh dear

Most common words with 唉

Sources