Chinese word

喂

Pronunciation

Pinyinwèi

Meaning

  • interjectionhey

Example

喂，等我一下。wèi děng wǒ yí xià

Hey, wait for me.

Illustration for 喂 (hey)

More examples

喂，我是王明。wèi wǒ shì wáng míng

Hello, I am Wang Ming.

Core concept

A quick voice signal that reaches another person, catches attention, and starts or interrupts talk.

Common phrases

  • 喂，你好wèi ní hǎo

    Hey, hello

  • 喂，别走wèi bié zǒu

    Hey, don't leave

  • 喂，你在吗wèi nǐ zài ma

    Hey, are you there?

Similar words

嗨hāi: A friendly, informal greeting for someone familiar.
你好ní hǎo: A general greeting exchanged when people meet.

Definition in Chinese

用来引起别人注意或招呼对方的短促感叹词，常用于叫住、开始对话或打断对方，语气可随声调变得亲切或生硬。yòng lái yín qǐ bié rén zhù yì huò zhāo hū duì fāng de duǎn cù gǎn tàn cí cháng yòng yú jiào zhù kāi shǐ duì huà huò dǎ duàn duì fāng yǔ qì kě suí shēng diào biàn de qīn qiè huò shēng yìng

Word origin

喂 (wèi, "hey") is a phonetic-semantic character: 口 (kǒu, "mouth") points to speech, while 畏 (wèi, "fear") supplies the pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • 喂 (wèi, "hey") is common at the start of a phone call and also works when calling to someone nearby, so the setting helps show whether it opens a talk or seeks attention.

Other meanings

  • hellointerjection
  • hiinterjection

Word lists with this word