哀

哀	U+54C0, 哀 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-54C0

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

哀 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+6, 9 strokes, cangjie input 卜口竹女 (YRHV), four-corner 0073₂, composition ⿳亠口𧘇)

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 188, character 11
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3580
Dae Jaweon: page 407, character 11
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 620, character 10
Unihan data for U+54C0

Chinese

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (衣) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
哀	*qɯːl
依	*qɯl
衣	qɯl, qɯls
扆	*qɯlʔ
庡	*qɯlʔ
偯	*qɯlʔ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *qɯːl) : phonetic 衣 (OC *qɯl, *qɯls) + semantic 口 (“mouth”).

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		哀

Probably sound-symbolic (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): āi (ai¹)

(Zhuyin): ㄞ

(Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): ngai¹
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): oi¹

(Taishan, Wiktionary): oi¹
Gan (Wiktionary): ngai¹
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): ôi

(Meixian, Guangdong): oi¹
Jin (Wiktionary): ghai¹
Northern Min (KCR): uói
Eastern Min (BUC): ăi
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): ai¹
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): ai

(Teochew, Peng'im): ai¹
Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ¹e
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): ngai¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: āi
  - Zhuyin: ㄞ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: ai
  - Wade–Giles: ai¹
  - Yale: āi
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ai
  - Palladius: ай (aj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˀaɪ̯⁵⁵/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: ngai¹
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: ngai
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋai⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: oi¹
  - Yale: ōi
  - Cantonese Pinyin: oi¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: oi¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɔːi̯⁵⁵/

Note: The zero initial /∅-/ is commonly pronounced with a ng-initial /ŋ-/ in some varieties of Cantonese, including Hong Kong Cantonese.

- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: oi¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ᵘɔi³³/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: ngai¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋai⁴²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ôi
  - Hakka Romanization System: oi^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: oi¹
  - Sinological IPA: /oi̯²⁴/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: oi¹
  - Sinological IPA: /oɪ⁴⁴/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: ghai¹
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /ɣai¹¹/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: uói
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /uɛ⁵⁴/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: ăi
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ai⁵⁵/
Puxian Min
- (Putian, Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: ai¹
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: ai
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ai⁵³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ai
  - Tâi-lô: ai
  - Phofsit Daibuun: ay
  - IPA (Xiamen): /ai⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /ai³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ai⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /ai⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ai⁴⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: ai¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ai
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ai³³/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai, Suzhou)
  - Wugniu: ¹e
  - MiniDict: e^平
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹e
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /e⁵³/
  - Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /e⁴⁴/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: ngai¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋai̯³³/

Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 哀
Mandarin	Beijing	/ai⁵⁵/
	Harbin	/ai⁴⁴/
	Tianjin	/nai²¹/
	Jinan	/ŋɛ²¹³/
	Qingdao	/ɣɛ²¹³/
	Zhengzhou	/ai²⁴/
	Xi'an	/ŋai²¹/
	Xining	/nɛ⁴⁴/
	Yinchuan	/ɛ⁴⁴/
	Lanzhou	/ɛ³¹/
	Ürümqi	/ai⁴⁴/
	Wuhan	/ŋai⁵⁵/
	Chengdu	/ŋai⁵⁵/
	Guiyang	/ŋai⁵⁵/ /ai⁵⁵/ 新
	Kunming	/æ⁴⁴/
	Nanjing	/ae³¹/
	Hefei	/ʐe̞²¹/
Jin	Taiyuan	/ɣai¹¹/
	Pingyao	/ŋæ¹³/
	Hohhot	/ŋɛ³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/e⁵³/
	Suzhou	/e̞⁵⁵/
	Hangzhou	/ʔe̞³³/
	Wenzhou	/e³³/
Hui	Shexian	/ŋɛ³¹/
Hui	Tunxi
Xiang	Changsha	/ŋai³³/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/ŋai³³/
Gan	Nanchang	/ŋai⁴²/
Hakka	Meixian	/oi⁴⁴/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/oi²⁴/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/ɔi⁵³/
	Nanning	/ɔi⁵⁵/
	Hong Kong	/ɔi⁵⁵/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/ai⁵⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/ai⁴⁴/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/uɛ⁵⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/ai³³/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/ai²³/

Middle Chinese: 'oj

Rime
Character	哀
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	咍 (41)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	烏開切
Baxter	'oj
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔʌi/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔəi/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔɒi/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔəj/
Li Rong	/ʔᴀi/
Wang Li	/ɒi/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ʔɑ̆i/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	āi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	oi¹

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*ʔˤəj/

(Zhengzhang): /*qɯːl/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	哀
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	āi
Middle Chinese	‹ ʔoj ›
Old Chinese	/*ʔˁəj/
English	to pity; sad
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	哀
Reading #	1/1
No.	14835
Phonetic component	衣
Rime group	微
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	哀
Old Chinese	/*qɯːl/

Definitions

哀

to pity; to sympathize
to lament; to mourn
哀悼 ― āidào ― to lament; to mourn

哀求 ― āiqiú ― to beg; to implore
sad; mournful; pitiful; sorrowful
哀痛 ― āitòng ― sad; grieved
grief; sorrow
節哀／节哀 ― jié'āi ― to restrain one's grief
orphaned of one's mother due to her passing
a surname

Compounds

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.		哀
alternative forms		𡟓

Coblin (2021) proposes that it is a contraction of Common Neo-Hakka compound 阿姆 (*a¹ moi¹), where *moi¹ may have come from earlier *moi⁴, perhaps related to 母 (OC *mɯʔ, “mother”).

Pronunciation

Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): ôi

(Meixian, Guangdong): oi¹

Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ôi
  - Hakka Romanization System: oi^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: oi¹
  - Sinological IPA: /oi̯²⁴/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: oi¹
  - Sinological IPA: /oɪ⁴⁴/

Definitions

哀

(Hakka) mother
爺哀／爷哀 [Sixian Hakka] ― yà-ôi [Pha̍k-fa-sṳ] ― father and mother; parents

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

哀

(Jōyō kanji)

Readings

Go-on: あい (ai, Jōyō)、お (o)
Kan-on: あい (ai, Jōyō)
Kun: あわれ (aware, 哀れ, Jōyō)、あわれむ (awaremu, 哀れむ, Jōyō)、かなしい (kanashii, 哀しい)、かなしむ (kanashimu, 哀しむ)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
哀
あい Grade: S
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 哀 (MC 'oj).

Noun

哀(あい) • (ai)

grief; sorrow; sadness; lamentation
哀(あい)を思(おも)う ― ai o omou ― to feel grief; to grieve; to mourn; lament
pity; sympathy

Synonyms

悲(かな)しみ (kanashimi)
嘆(なげ)き (nageki)
憂(うれ)い (urei)

Korean

Hanja

哀 • (ae) (hangeul 애, McCune–Reischauer ae)

grief, sorrow
sad

Vietnamese

Han character

哀: Hán Nôm readings: ai

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