痛 tòng — ache; pain; sorrow
我的牙很痛，要去看医生。Wǒ de yá hěn tòng, yào qù kàn yī shēng.My tooth hurts a lot; I need to see a doctor.
Common words: 痛苦 (tòng kǔ)、痛快 (tòng kuài)、疼痛 (téng tòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "sorrow"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "sorrow", including 痛 (tòng), 悲 (bēi), 哀 (āi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "sorrow" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 痛 (tòng), 悲 (bēi), 哀 (āi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span tòng, bēi, āi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 痛 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 痛 tòngache; pain; sorrowUseful words: 痛苦, 痛快
- 悲 bēisad; sadness; sorrow; griefUseful words: 悲剧, 悲伤
- 哀 āisorrow; grief; pity; to grieve for; to pity; to lamentUseful words: 悲哀, 哀求
Common words for these 3 "sorrow" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 痛 (tòng) — so "sorrow" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
痛苦tòng kǔpain; suffering; painful痛快tòng kuàidelighted; to one's heart's content; straightforward疼痛téng tòngpain; (of a body part) to be painful; to be sore; to hurt悲剧bēi jùtragedy悲伤bēi shāngsad; sorrowful悲观bēi guānpessimistic悲哀bēi āigrieved; sorrowful哀求āi qiúto entreat; to implore; to plead喜怒哀乐xǐ nù āi lèlit. happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy (idiom); fig. emotions
See each character in a sentence
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 "sorrow".
悲 bēi — sad; sadness; sorrow; grief
这部电影的结局有点儿悲伤。Zhè bù diàn yǐng de jié jú yǒu diǎnr bēi shāng.The ending of this movie is a bit sad.
Common words: 悲剧 (bēi jù)、悲伤 (bēi shāng)、悲观 (bēi guān)
哀 āi — sorrow; grief; pity; to grieve for; to pity; to lament
听到这个不幸的消息，大家都很悲哀。Tīng dào zhè ge bú xìng de xiāo xi, dà jiā dōu hěn bēi āi.Hearing this unfortunate news, everyone was very sad.
Common words: 悲哀 (bēi āi)、哀求 (āi qiú)、喜怒哀乐 (xǐ nù āi lè)
All 3 characters
Open 痛、悲、哀 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.