How to Write 嗷 (áo) — Meaning “Ow; awoo (sound of howling or crying).”

Imagine a wolf throwing its head back and howling "Awoo!" The left side 口 is its open mouth, and the right side 敖 looks like a wolf with a tail (the 攵 component). Every time you see 嗷, think of a wolf's howl.

The left side 口 should be small and placed high, not stretched too wide. The right side 敖 has 10 strokes; pay special attention to the bottom part (攵) which must have a short horizontal stroke before the final downward stroke. A common mistake is making the right side too wide.

The character 㕡 (hè) is extremely rare and means a ditch or gully; it has a different bottom part and is not related to sounds. 唪 (fěng) means to recite or chant and uses the same mouth radical but with a different phonetic (奉). Unlike these, 嗷 is specifically an onomatopoeia for howling or crying.

嗷 is most commonly used in the reduplicated form 嗷嗷 (áo áo) to describe loud crying or howling, such as a baby wailing or a wolf howling. It can also appear in phrases like 嗷的一声 (áo de yī shēng) meaning "with a howl." This character is informal and onomatopoeic, often found in literature or storytelling rather than everyday conversation.

Common words containing 嗷 include: 嗷嗷 (áo áo) — Howling; crying loudly.; 嗷 (áo) — Ow; awoo (sound of howling or crying).; 嗷的一声 (áo de yī shēng) — With a howl; with a loud cry..