ah

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ah"

English edit

English Wikipedia has an article on:

ah

Wikipedia

Etymology 1 edit

mid-1400s Old Frankish (replacing English la).

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ɑː/
Audio (GA) (file)
Rhymes: -ɑː

Interjection edit

ah

An expression of relief, relaxation, comfort, confusion, understanding, wonder, awe, etc. according to uttered inflection.
Ah, I understand now.

Ah! It's good to be back home!

Ah, the flowers of spring.
A syllable used to fill space, particularly in music.
- 2008, Britney Spears (lyrics and music), “Womanizer”:
  Boy don't try to front, uh, I
  Know just, just, what you are, ah, ah.

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

an expression

Arabic: آه (ar) (ʔāh)
Egyptian Arabic: آه (āh), أها (ʔahā)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 哦 (zh) (ò)
Danish: ah
Dutch: ah (nl)
Esperanto: ha (eo), ah (eo)
Estonian: aa (et), ah (et), ee (et), oi (et), oo
Finnish: aa (fi)
French: ah (fr)
Greek: α (el) (a)
Hungarian: ah (hu)
Ido: ah (io)
Irish: á
Japanese: ああ (ja) (ā), あ (ja) (a), 嗚呼 (ja) (ああ, ā)
Korean: 아 (ko) (a)
Malay: ah (ms)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: ah (no)
Persian: آها (âhâ)
Polish: ach (pl), a (pl)
Portuguese: ah (pt)
Russian: а (ru) (a), ага́ (ru) (agá), о (ru) (o)
Slovak: ach
Swedish: ah (sv)
Thai: อ้อ (th) (ɔ̂ɔ)
Vietnamese: à (vi)
Welsh: a (cy)

word to fill space

Estonian: ee (et)
Greek: α (el) (a), ω (el) (o)

word used for drama

Estonian: ah (et)
Greek: α (el) (a)
Hebrew: אבוי (he) (avoy)
Swedish: ack (sv)

Noun edit

ah (plural ahs)

An instance of the interjection ah.
the crowd's oohs and ahs at the fireworks

Verb edit

ah (third-person singular simple present ahs, present participle ahing, simple past and past participle ahed)

To give a cry of "ah".
- 2005, T. R. Rhoads, Sinner, Sailor: A Memoir, page 221:
  Mother and dad oohed and ahed over Cindy. She was only two months old but already was developing her personality.

Pronoun edit

ah (personal pronoun, plural we, possessive adjective mah)

Pronunciation spelling of I, most often indicating that the speaker is using a Scottish or American (particularly Southern) accent.

Etymology 2 edit

From Hokkien 啊 (--a), Teochew 啊 (a⁷), Mandarin 啊 (a).

Alternative forms edit

ar, har

Pronunciation edit

(Singapore, Malaysia)
- IPA^(key): (Senses 2‒5) /ɑː˨˦/, (Sense 2, non-interrogative) /ɑː/
- IPA^(key): (Sense 1) [ä˨]

Particle edit

ah (Manglish, Singlish)

Marks a tag question prompting the listener to clarify something.
You're dyslexic ah? ― So you're dyslexic?
- 2020 April 12, Notdumb, “Liddat is safe distance ah?”, in SG Talk‎^[1], archived from the original on 18 April 2020:
  Only 2 ft apart considered safe ah?
Used for emphasis; reinforces a short wh-question.
- 2011 October 23, Rachel Chang, “LifeStyle”, in The Sunday Times, page 15:
  See how lor. Who’s going ar?
Emphasizes the need for absolute confirmation or acknowledgment.
Don't drink and drive ah...
- 2010 April 18, Colin Goh, “LifeStyle”, in The Sunday Times, page 24:
  Sure, ah? Thanks, man, pai seh.
A filler word separating the topic of a sentence and its comment.
The drilling upstairs ah, non-stop leh.
A filler word used to ascertain the continued attention of the listener.

References edit

“ah”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
“ah”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
Lim, L. (2004) Singapore English: A grammatical description‎^[2], John Benjamins Publishing, →ISBN, page 121

Anagrams edit

HA, Ha, ha, ha'

Afar edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ˈah/, [ˈʔʌh]

Pronoun edit

áh

this, these (masculine)

Declension edit

Declension of áh

absolutive

áh

predicative

áha

subjective

áh

genitive

ahtí

Postpositioned forms
l-case	áhal
k-case	áhak
t-case	áhat
h-case	áhah

References edit

E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “ah”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎^[3], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Albanian edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Albanian *aksa, from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃s- (“ash”) (compare Greek οξιά (oxiá, “beech”), Armenian հածի (haci), English ash).

Noun edit

ah m (plural ahe, definite ahu, definite plural ahet)

beech (Fagus sylvatica)

Hyponyms edit

ah i bardhë (“white hornbeam”) (Carpinus betulus)

Chickasaw edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adverb edit

ah

yes
Synonym: hohmi

Danish edit

Etymology edit

Partly borrowed from German, English, French, from Latin ah (“ah”), from Proto-Indo-European *ā. Partly also onomatopoeic.

Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål ah, English ah, German ah, French ah and Latin ah.

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ɛː/, /ˈɛːɛ/, /ɑ̈ː/
Audio (file)
Rhymes: -ɛː, -ɑ̈ː
Hyphenation: ah

Interjection edit

ah

used to express pleasure, e.g. because something tastes good or feels nice
Coordinate terms: mm, mums, namnam

ah, sikken en dejlig pandekage
ah what a delicious pancake

Synonym: uhm
1. used to express pleasant surprise
  "ah, velkommen Albert," sagde Sickert til prinsen
  "ah, welcome Albert," said Sickert to the prince
  
  Synonym: minsandten
used to express reservations, slight disagreement, doubt etc.
bliver man også nervøs? Ah ikke så meget
do you get nervous too? Ah, not so much

Synonym: arh

References edit

“ah” in Den Danske Ordbog

Anagrams edit

Ah, ha, HA

Esperanto edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Interjection edit

ah

ah, oh

Finnish edit

Etymology edit

Found in a wide variety of languages, including but not limited to Estonian ah, Ingrian ah, Karelian ah, Ludian ah, Veps ah, Votic ah, Hungarian ah, Swedish ah, German ah, English ah, Latin ah. Tracing an exact origin is effectively impossible. Probably ultimately involuntary or natural.

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ˈɑh/, [ˈɑ̝h]
Rhymes: -ɑh
Syllabification^(key): ah

Interjection edit

ah

oh, ah

Anagrams edit

ha

French edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Old French a! (“oh! ah! woe!”), of expressive origin.

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /a/
Audio (file)

Interjection edit

ah

ah

Derived terms edit

ah bon

References edit

Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “ah”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Galician edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): [ˈaː]

Interjection edit

ah

ah (expression of understanding, etc.)

References edit

“ah” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
“ah” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
“ah” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

German edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation edit

Rhymes: -aː

Interjection edit

ah

expressing understanding
expressing contentment

Hokkien edit

For pronunciation and definitions of ah – see 鴨 (“duck”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 鴨).

For pronunciation and definitions of ah – see 矣 (“particle expressing completion”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 矣).

Hungarian edit

Etymology edit

Involuntary expression of emotions: surprise, impatience, desire, sadness, refusal.^[1]

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): [ˈɒx]
Rhymes: -ɒx

Interjection edit

ah

ah
- 1599-1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 1 [6]
  Ah jó uram, mit láttam én az éjjel!
  Ah, my good lord, what have I seen to-night!

References edit

^ ah in Zaicz, Gábor (ed.). Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (‘Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN. (See also its 2nd edition.)

Indonesian edit

Etymology edit

Unknown

from Arabic آهْ (ʔāh)
from Peranakan Indonesian ach (“oh”), from Dutch ach (“oh”).

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ˈah/
Rhymes: -ah

Interjection edit

ah

oh, expresses compassion, surprise and dismay

Ingrian edit

Alternative forms edit

ak

Etymology edit

Ultimately a natural sound. Compare Finnish ah and Estonian ah.

Pronunciation edit

(Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈɑh/, [ˈɑh]
(Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈɑh/, [ˈɑh]
Rhymes: -ɑh
Hyphenation: ah

Interjection edit

ah

Exclamation of wonder: oh!
Ah kui siä oot käppiä! ― Oh how beautiful you are!

References edit

Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 3

Italian edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ˈa/, which may be preceded and/or followed by [h] or [ʔ]. It also may trigger syntactic gemination.^[1]
Rhymes: -a
Hyphenation: ah

Interjection edit

ah

(sarcastic) ah! (usually ironic or sarcastic)
Synonym: ha

References edit

^ ah in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Anagrams edit

ha

Juǀ'hoan edit

Pronunciation edit

The murmured vowel IPA^(key): /a̤/

Letter edit

ah (upper case Ah)

A letter of the Juǀ'hoan alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Latin edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ā or perhaps *h₂eh₂.^[1]

Pronunciation edit

(Classical) IPA^(key): /aːh/, [äː(ɦ)]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/, [ä]

Interjection edit

āh

ah

References edit

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2011) Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, 2nd edition, revised and corrected by Michiel de Vaan, Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, page 250

Mokilese edit

Noun edit

ah

(one's) thing

Usage notes edit

Like many terms in Mokilese, ah has no non-possessive form; the third person singular possessive form (one's/his/her/its thing) is therefore treated as the lemma.

Declension edit

Possessive forms of ah (loose inalienable possession, -ah stem)

singular possessor	first person	oai
	second person	oamw
	third person	ah
dual possessors	first person inclusive	asa
	first person exclusive	ama
	second person	amwa
	third person	ara
plural possessors	first person inclusive	asai
	first person exclusive	amai
	second person	amwai
	third person	arai
remote plural possessors	first person inclusive	ahs
	first person exclusive	imi
	second person	imwi
	third person	ahr
construct form		in

Old English edit

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ɑx/

Conjunction edit

ah

(Anglian) Alternative form of ac (“but”)

Palikur edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun edit

ah n or f

(neuter) wood
(feminine) tree

References edit

Languages of the Amazon (2012, →ISBN

Pohnpeian edit

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ɐː/
Rhymes: -ɐː

Etymology 1 edit

Noun edit

ah

The name of the Latin-script letter A/a.

Etymology 2 edit

Noun edit

ah

shark mullet (Rhinomugil nasutus), at a growth stage of approximately twelve inches

Etymology 3 edit

Conjunction edit

ah

however, and, then
I sukuhl, ah e doadoahk.
I went to school, and he worked.

Ma Soulik pahn iang, ah I sohte pahn iang.
If Soulik goes, then I won't.

Etymology 4 edit

Alternative forms edit

e
eh

Determiner edit

ah

his, her, hers, its, third person singular possessive pronoun
Liho iang ah pwoud.
The woman joined her husband.

Etymology 5 edit

Interjection edit

ah

Oh!; commonly used as an expression of approval.
Ah, ke inenen mai.
Oh, you are really good.

Portuguese edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ˈa/
Homophone: há

Interjection edit

ah!

ah! (expression of relief, realization, awe)
ah! (expression of woe, grief)

Quotations edit

For quotations using this term, see Citations:ah.

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection edit

ah

ah

Somali edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb edit

ah

(intransitive) To be
Bariis oo macaan ah. ― Rice that is sweet.

Spanish edit

Etymology edit

Imitative, similar to French ah.

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ˈa/ [ˈa]
Rhymes: -a
Homophones: a, ha

Interjection edit

ah

ah (expression of relief, realization, awe)
ah (expression of woe, grief)

Related terms edit

Anagrams edit

ha

Sumerian edit

Romanization edit

ah

Romanization of 𒄴 (aḫ)

Swedish edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Interjection edit

ah

ah; an expression of relief

Anagrams edit

ha

Tulu-Bohuai edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ah/

Noun edit

ah

coral lime (for chewing/eating with betelnut)

Vilamovian edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Interjection edit

ah

oh: expressing of surprise
oh: expressing wonder, amazement, or awe
oh: expressing understanding, recognition, or realization
oh: preceding an offhand or annoyed remark
oh: an invocation or address

Zou edit

Etymology edit

From earlier *ak (whence the possessive forms), from Proto-Kuki-Chin *ʔaar (“chicken”). Cognates include Khumi Chin ae and Mizo ár.

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /àʔ/

Noun edit

ah

fowl
(specifically) chicken (Gallus gallus)

Derived terms edit

References edit

Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 49

[1] Zaicz, Gábor (ed.). Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (‘Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN. (See also its 2nd edition.)

[2] Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

[3] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2011) Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, 2nd edition, revised and corrected by Michiel de Vaan, Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, page 250

[1]

[1]

[1]

	masculine	feminine
proximal to the speaker(s)	áh	táh
proximal to the spoken to	amáh	tamáh
distal	wóh	tóh
very distal	wóttih

ah

English edit

Etymology 1 edit

Pronunciation edit

Interjection edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

Noun edit

Verb edit

Pronoun edit

Etymology 2 edit

Alternative forms edit

Pronunciation edit

Particle edit

See also edit

References edit

Anagrams edit

Afar edit

Etymology edit

Pronunciation edit

Pronoun edit

Declension edit

See also edit

References edit

Albanian edit

Etymology edit

Noun edit

Hyponyms edit

Further reading edit

Chickasaw edit

Etymology edit

Adverb edit

Danish edit

Etymology edit

Pronunciation edit

Interjection edit

References edit

Anagrams edit

Esperanto edit

Etymology edit

Interjection edit

Finnish edit

Etymology edit

Pronunciation edit

Interjection edit

Further reading edit

Anagrams edit

French edit

Etymology edit

Pronunciation edit

Interjection edit

Derived terms edit

References edit

Further reading edit

Galician edit

Etymology edit

Pronunciation edit

Interjection edit

References edit

German edit

Etymology edit

Pronunciation edit

Interjection edit

Further reading edit

Hokkien edit

Hungarian edit

Etymology edit

Pronunciation edit

Interjection edit

References edit

Further reading edit

Indonesian edit

Etymology edit

Pronunciation edit

Interjection edit

Further reading edit

Ingrian edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit