哑 Stroke Order — How to Write 哑
哑 is written in 9 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 口, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
哑 Radical and Character Components
哑 is a phono-semantic compound: 口 (mouth) carries the meaning, while 亚 indicates the sound.
Radical: 口 + 6 more strokes
哑 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- yǎ
- yā
Meanings of 哑 in Chinese
1
yǎ哑
Unable to speak; mute.
他从小就是个哑巴，但他很聪明
He has been mute since childhood, but he is very clever.
hoarse; husky (voice)
他大声喊了一整天，声音变得有些沙哑
He shouted all day, and his voice became a bit hoarse.
Mute; silent (as in a silent play or a dumbbell, which is a 'mute bell').
他每天都用哑铃锻炼身体。
He exercises with dumbbells every day.
When referring to ammunition or explosives, 'yǎ' (哑) means to fail to detonate or fire due to a malfunction, resulting in a 'dud'.
这枚烟花是个哑炮，没有爆炸。
This firework was a dud and didn't explode.
A sound of laughter, often involuntary, as in 'yǎrán shīxiào' (to burst out laughing).
他听到这个意想不到的答案，不禁哑然失笑。
Hearing the unexpected answer, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
2
yā哑
Onomatopoeic for the sound of a baby babbling or whimpering, often used in the phrase 'yī yā'.
宝宝咿咿哑哑地学说话。
The baby is babbling, learning to speak.
Common Words and Phrases with 哑
1
A mute or dumb person; someone who cannot speak.
他天生就是个哑巴，但他通过手语与人交流。
He was born mute, but he communicates with people through sign language.
2
A grievance or loss that one has to suffer in silence, either because it's inconvenient or impossible to voice.
因为合同条款没有仔细阅读，他最后吃了哑巴亏，只好自己承担损失。
Because he didn't read the contract terms carefully, he ended up suffering a hidden loss and had to bear the consequences himself.
3
awkward silence
他讲完这个故事后，大家一时都不知道该说什么，气氛有点哑场。
After he finished telling this story, everyone was momentarily at a loss for words, and the atmosphere became a bit awkward.
4
A countersign; a secret signal or code used for identification or communication.
小明和他的朋友们在捉迷藏的时候，总是会提前约定好一个只有他们才懂的哑号儿，用来在找到对方时示意。
Xiao Ming and his friends, when playing hide-and-seek, would always agree beforehand on a secret signal that only they understood, to use when they found each other.
5
To misfire (of a firearm or explosive); figuratively, to fall silent or be struck dumb, especially when one is usually talkative.
在重要会议上，他突然哑火，没能回答出关键问题。
During the important meeting, he suddenly misfired and couldn't answer the key question.
6
puzzling remark; riddle
他的话语中充满了哑迹，让听者费尽心思才领会其真正的意图。
His words were full of veiled hints, making listeners rack their brains to grasp his true intentions.
7
A theatrical performance where the story is conveyed through gestures, actions, and facial expressions, without spoken dialogue or singing. Also known as pantomime.
那个小丑用滑稽的哑剧表演逗笑了观众。
The clown amused the audience with his comical mime performance.
8
rendered speechless, unable to utter a word
面对小明的有力论据，老师傅被驳得哑口无言，只好承认自己确实考虑不周。
Faced with Xiao Ming's powerful arguments, the old master was rendered speechless and had to admit that he had indeed been thoughtless.
9
A dumbbell is a short bar with weights at each end, used for strength training and exercise.
他每天早上都会用哑铃锻炼手臂肌肉。
Every morning, he uses dumbbells to exercise his arm muscles.
10
An enigma or a riddle; something obscure or puzzling.
老板提出的新项目要求简直是个哑谜，我们都不知道从何下手。
The requirements for the new project proposed by the boss were a complete enigma; none of us knew where to begin.
11
A dud shell or firework that fails to explode.
这个烟花是个哑炮，点燃了却没炸响
This firework was a dud; it lit up but didn't explode.
12
silent; speechless; (to laugh) involuntarily
他独自坐在窗边，看着窗外淅沥的雨滴，陷入了哑然的沉思。
He sat alone by the window, watching the drizzling rain outside, lost in silent contemplation.
13
unable to stifle a laugh; to burst out laughing unintentionally
看到电影里那个滑稽的表演，他不禁哑然失笑
He couldn't help but burst into a sudden laugh when he saw the comical performance in the movie.
14
A mute person; someone who cannot speak.
在那些古老的传说中，哑人通常被描述为一群只懂得发出低沉吼声，无法用语言交流的神秘生物。
In those ancient legends, the 'yaren' (mute beings) were often described as a group of mysterious creatures who only knew how to emit deep roars and could not communicate through language.
15
A low, suppressed laugh or silent laughter.
在安静的图书馆里，她试图忍住笑，结果只发出一声短促的哑笑。
In the quiet library, she tried to hold back her laughter, resulting only in a brief, suppressed chuckle.
More words with 哑
- sī嘶yǎ哑hoarse, husky
- yīn喑yǎ哑mute; hoarse and unable to speak
- lóng聋yǎ哑deaf-mute
- óu呕yǎ哑Discordant sound, Raucous noise
- shā沙yǎ哑hoarse, husky
- lóng聋yǎ哑rén人deaf-mute, deaf and mute
- cū粗yǎ哑hoarse, gruff
- sī澌yǎ哑Sound of melting ice or snow, Hoarse voice
- yī咿yǎ哑creak, squeak
- yīn喑yǎ哑wú无yán言speechless, mute
- ǒu呕yǎ哑xué学yǔ语Babbling, Learning to speak
Idioms with 哑
- yǎ哑zǐ子zuò做mèng梦have an inexpressible grievance
- chī吃yǎ哑ba巴kuī亏suffer a silent loss
- tuī推lóng聋zhuāng装yǎ哑Pretend to be ignorant
- zhuāng装lóng聋zuò作yǎ哑pretend to be deaf and mute
- yǎ哑kǒu口wú无shēng声Rendered speechless
- yǎ哑rán然dà大xiào笑burst into sudden loud laughter
- yǎ哑rán然ér而xiào笑burst into sudden laughter
- yǎ哑rán然yī一xiào笑burst into laughter involuntarily
- yǎ哑rán然zì自xiào笑to laugh to oneself involuntarily
- yǎ哑zǐ子chī吃huáng黄lián连suffer in silence
- yǎ哑zi子dé得mèng梦inexpressible understanding or feeling
- yǎ哑zǐ子tuō托mèng梦unable to express a hidden grievance
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Open the tool →Questions about 哑
What does 哑 mean in Chinese?
哑 (yǎ) means “Unable to speak” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 哑?
哑 has 2 pronunciations: yǎ, yā.
How many strokes does 哑 have?
哑 has 9 strokes.
How do you write 哑?
哑 is written in 9 strokes, starting from the radical 口. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 哑?
The radical of 哑 is 口, and 哑 is a phono-semantic compound.