Meaning Index
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "hey", including 喂 (wèi), 哎 (āi), 嘿 (hēi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
The English word "hey" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 喂 (wèi), 哎 (āi), 嘿 (hēi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wèi, āi, hēi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 喂 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 喂 (wèi) — so "hey" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "hey".
每天早上，奶奶都会喂院子里的鸡。Měi tiān zǎo shang, nǎi nai dōu huì wèi yuàn zi lǐ de jī.Every morning, Grandma feeds the chickens in the yard.
Common words: 喂养 (wèi yǎng)、投喂 (tóu wèi)、喂料 (wèi liào)
哎，你怎么又把东西忘在家里了？Āi, nǐ zěn me yòu bǎ dōng xi wàng zài jiā lǐ le?Hey, how did you forget your things at home again?
Common words: 哎呀 (āi yā)、哎哟 (āi yō)、哎唷 (āi yō)
嘿，你们快过来看，这里有一只小松鼠！Hēi, nǐ men kuài guò lái kàn, zhè lǐ yǒu yì zhī xiǎo sōng shǔ!Hey, come and look, there is a little squirrel here!
Common words: 嘿嘿 (hēi hēi)、嘿咻 (hēi xiū)
Open 喂、哎、嘿 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.