哀 (āi) is a Chinese character meaning “sorrow”. It is written from 亠 (lid) and 口 (mouth) and 𧘇 (lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes)), and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “sorrow”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亠 + 口 + 𧘇
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: Unicode U+54C0; modern decomposition candidate checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (strokes 1-2 亠, 3-5 口, 6-9 𧘇)
Memory aid
A lid (亠) pressed down, a mouth (口) shut underneath it, and 𧘇 spilling out below like the loose folds of a mourning robe — a cry held in. That is 哀, sorrow.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 哀求āi qiúto beg piteously; to implore哀 = āi
- 哀伤āi shānggrieved; sorrowful哀 = āi
- 呜呼哀哉wū hū āi zāialas! — and that was the end of it哀 = āi
- 哀悼āi dàoto mourn; to express condolences哀 = āi
Go deeper
All readings
sorrow
sorrow; grief; to grieve; to pity
悲伤、悲痛；也表示怜悯。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 哀求āi qiúto beg piteously; to implore哀 = āi
- 哀伤āi shānggrieved; sorrowful哀 = āi
- 呜呼哀哉wū hū āi zāialas! — and that was the end of it哀 = āi
- 哀悼āi dàoto mourn; to express condolences哀 = āi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 哀 mean?
哀 (āi) means sorrow; grief; to grieve; to pity.
How do you pronounce 哀?
It is pronounced āi.
What parts is 哀 made of?
亠 (lid) and 口 (mouth) and 𧘇 (lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes)). The recorded source is: Unicode U+54C0; modern decomposition candidate checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (strokes 1-2 亠, 3-5 口, 6-9 𧘇). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 哀 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 哀?
口. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 哀?
Common ones are 哀求 and 哀伤. The reading of 哀 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.