哉
how, what, alas, question mark, exclamation mark
Readings
On'yomi
- サイ
Kun'yomi
- かな
- や
Nanori
- か
- すけ
- とし
- ちか
- はじめ
Meaning
哉 is a classical sentence-final particle that expresses strong emotion or rhetorical questioning, similar to 'how…!', 'what a…!', or 'alas!'. Its modern use is largely limited to literary or formal contexts where it marks exclamation or a questioning tone.
Most common words using 哉
Study
Etymology
哉 combines 口 (mouth) with a phonetic element that historically included 土 and 戈. The character was used in classical Chinese as a grammatical particle for exclamation or question, and its structure likely reflects a word with a similar sound.
Meaning mnemonic
The 口 (mouth) inside the character suggests a spoken exclamation. Picture a mouth shouting 'How?!' or 'Alas!' from within the surrounding strokes.
Reading mnemonic
For サイ, imagine a dramatic sigh: 'Sigh!' (サイ) when you exclaim 'Alas!' The sound of a sigh matches the reading and the emotional tone of the kanji.