啊 (a) is a Chinese character meaning “sentence-final particle: adds warmth, surprise, agreement”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 阿 (prefix used before names or kinship terms (as in 阿姨)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “sentence-final particle: "…!" / "yes, …"”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
口 + 阿
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰口阿；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「口」（3 笔），笔画 3–9 为「阿」（7 笔），合计 10 笔
Memory aid
A mouth (口) next to 阿 (ā): 阿 lends the sound, 口 says it comes from your voice — the little "ah!" you add when you agree or feel something.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 好啊hǎo asure!; okay!; great!啊 = aHSK 1
- 是啊shì ayes, indeed; that's right啊 = aHSK 1
Go deeper
All readings
sentence-final particle (exclamation / affirmation)
sentence-final particle: adds warmth, surprise, agreement or emphasis to what is said ("…!", "yes, …")
语气词，用在句末，表示赞叹、肯定、催促或提醒等语气。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 好啊hǎo asure!; okay!; great!啊 = aHSK 1
- 是啊shì ayes, indeed; that's right啊 = aHSK 1
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 啊 mean?
啊 (a) means sentence-final particle: adds warmth, surprise, agreement or emphasis to what is said ("…!", "yes, …").
How do you pronounce 啊?
It is pronounced a.
What parts is 啊 made of?
口 (mouth) and 阿 (prefix used before names or kinship terms (as in 阿姨)), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰口阿；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「口」（3 笔），笔画 3–9 为「阿」（7 笔），合计 10 笔. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 啊 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 啊?
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 啊?
Common ones are 好啊 and 是啊. The reading of 啊 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.