怜 lián — to pity
那只流浪的小猫真可怜。Nà zhī liú làng de xiǎo māo zhēn kě lián.That stray kitten is really pitiful.
Common words: 可怜 (kě lián)、怜惜 (lián xī)、爱怜 (ài lián)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to pity"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to pity", including 怜 (lián), 哀 (āi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to pity" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 怜 (lián), 哀 (āi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lián, āi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 怜 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 怜 liánto pityUseful words: 可怜, 怜惜
- 哀 āisorrow; grief; pity; to grieve for; to pity; to lamentUseful words: 悲哀, 哀求
Common words for these 2 "to pity" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 怜 (lián) — so "to pity" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 2 ways to say "to pity".
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 2 characters
Open 怜、哀 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.