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Kotomora

咦

expression of surprise

Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

  • イ
  • キ
  • タイ

Kun'yomi

  • といき

Meaning

咦 represents a vocal expression of surprise, similar to an exclamation like "eh?" or "huh?" in English.

Study

Etymology

咦 combines 口 (mouth) with 夷, which likely contributes the sound. The character is used to represent a surprised vocal sound.

Meaning mnemonic

The mouth radical 口 beside 夷 suggests a sound coming from the mouth. Imagine someone opening their mouth wide in surprise, making an "eh?" sound.

Reading mnemonic

For イ, picture someone so surprised they can only say "E!" — the single sound イ matches the exclamation.