Chinese word

嘿

Pronunciation

Pinyinhēi

Meaning

  • interjectionhey

Example

嘿，你在吗？hēi nǐ zài ma

Hey, are you there?

Illustration for 嘿 (hey)

More examples

嘿，别走，我还有话要说。hēi bié zǒu wǒ hái yǒu huà yào shuō

Hey, don't go; I still have something to say.

Core concept

A small vocal nudge that opens a shared conversational space.

Common phrases

  • 嘿，你听我说hēi nǐ tīng wǒ shuō

    Hey, listen to me

  • 嘿，别走hēi bié zǒu

    Hey, don't go

  • 嘿，怎么回事hēi zěn me huí shì

    Hey, what's the matter

Similar words

嗨hāi: A light, casual greeting for meeting someone, especially a friend.
喂wèi: A brief call that asks someone to respond, used when calling out or speaking by phone.
哈喽hā lóu: An informal greeting adapted from the English word hello.

Definition in Chinese

用作随意搭话的开头语，用于引入话题或招呼，语气可亲切或随便。yòng zuò suí yì dā huà de kāi tóu yǔ yòng yú yǐn rù huà tí huò zhāo hū yǔ qì kě qīn qiè huò suí biàn

Word origin

嘿 (hēi, "hey") is a phonetic-semantic character: 口 (kǒu, "mouth") points to speech, while 黑 (hēi, "black") mainly supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • The English word "hey" can sound sharp when used to demand attention, whereas the Chinese interjection is often a relaxed way to begin contact, with tone and context carrying the difference.

Other meanings

  • hiinterjection

Related words

  • 嘿嘿hēi hēiheh hehinterjection

Word lists with this word