Japanese symbol for “alas”
嗚呼
ああ
Romaji: aa
ah!; oh!; alas!
In Japanese, alas is 嗚呼, read ああ (aa).
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.
Meanings
- int ah!; oh!; alas!
- int yes; indeed; that is correct
- int aah; gah; argh
- int hey!; yo!
- int uh huh; yeah yeah; right; gotcha
Written forms: 嗚呼、噫、嗟、於乎. Readings: ああ、あー、あぁ、ああっ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “alas”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 哉 | かな kana | how!; what!; alas! |
| 哀れ | あわれ aware | alack; alas |
| 可惜 | あたら atara | alas; regrettably; to my great regret |
| 悲しいかな | かなしいかな kanashiikana | sad to say; how sad; alas |
| 何が悲しくて | なにがかなしくて nanigakanashikute | unfortunately; alas |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 嗚咽 | おえつ oetsu | sobbing; weeping; fit of crying |
| 嗚呼嗚呼 | ああああ aaaa | aaah!; oooh!; oh no! |
| 呼ぶ | よぶ yobu | to call out (to); to call; to invoke |
| 呼吸 | こきゅう kokyuu | breathing; respiration |
| 呼びかけ | よびかけ yobikake | call; appeal |
| 呼び名 | よびな yobina | popular name; common name; given name |
| 呼び出す | よびだす yobidasu | to call (someone) to (the door, phone, etc.); to tell (someone) to come; to call up (on the phone) |
| 呼び出し | よびだし yobidashi | call; summons; paging |
See also: Chinese symbol for “alas”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.