Chinese symbol for “alas”
唉
ài
alas; oh dear
The closest CC-CEDICT match for alas is 唉 (ài), defined as: alas; oh dear.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “alas”
Related words
Other words that share a character with 唉.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 唉声叹气 (唉聲嘆氣) | āi shēng tàn qì | sighing voice, wailing breath (idiom); to heave deep sighs |
| 唉唉 | āi āi | (onom.) sighing voice; crying sound |
| 唉姐 | āi jiě | granny (dialect) |
See also: Japanese symbol for “alas”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.