How to Write 讶 (yà) — Meaning “To be surprised / To be astonished”

Imagine someone is so surprised that they open their mouth wide, showing all their teeth (牙), and they let out a sharp "Ah!" — the speech radical 讠 represents that sound. Picture the teeth (牙) next to the speech bubble (讠).

Write the speech radical 讠 first (dot, then horizontal stroke turning down), then the right part 牙: horizontal, vertical turn, horizontal, and finally a vertical hook. A common mistake is making the last stroke a simple vertical line instead of a hook, so remember to hook it upward.

All three share the speech radical 讠, but their right parts differ: 讶 has 牙 (tooth), 计 has 十 (ten), and 订 has 丁 (nail). In meaning, 讶 means "surprised," 计 means "to calculate or plan," and 订 means "to agree or order." Visually, 讶 is the only one with a vertical hook on the right.

讶 appears mainly in formal or written Chinese, most commonly in the compound 惊讶 (jīng yà, surprised). It is less used in everyday speech, where 吃惊 (chī jīng) is more natural. The phrase 惊讶不已 (jīng yà bù yǐ) means "extremely surprised" and is often used in literature or news reports to emphasize strong astonishment.

Common words containing 讶 include: 惊讶 (jīng yà) — Surprised; 讶异 (yà yì) — Surprised / Astonished; 惊讶不已 (jīng yà bù yǐ) — Extremely surprised.