How to Write 噫 (yī) — Meaning “alas or oh”

Imagine someone putting a hand over their mouth and saying "Yikes!" — the sound "yī" matches the pinyin. The left side 口 is the mouth, and the right side 意 looks like a surprised face with a big eye on top. So you can remember 噫 as the sound you make when you are suddenly shocked or disappointed.

The character has 16 strokes and a balanced left-right structure. Make sure the left radical 口 is small and sits high, while the right part 意 is wider, with the 立 (stand) on top and 心 (heart) below. A common mistake is making the 口 too big or forgetting the dot inside 心.

噫 (yī) is an exclamation like "alas!" and is not common in daily use. 㕡 (hè) is a rare character meaning a gully or a moat, and it uses a different radical 阝 (hill). 嗽 (sòu) means "to cough" and has the radical 口 as well, but its right part is 欶 (shuò) not 意. You can remember 噫 by its unique 意 component.

噫 is an interjection used to express sighing, regret, or sudden realization — similar to "alas" or "oh!" in English. It appears mostly in classical literature, poetry, or formal writing, and is rarely used in everyday conversation. For example, in the idiom 噫吁嚱 (yī xū xī) it expresses a strong sigh of wonder or sorrow.

Common words containing 噫 include: 噫 (yī) — alas or oh.