ah

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

ah

Wikipedia

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑː/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː

Interjection

ah

1. 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.

2. 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

Related terms

Translations

Noun

ah (plural ahs)

1. An instance of the interjection ah.

   the crowd's oohs and ahs at the fireworks

Verb

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

1. 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

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

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

Etymology 2

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

Alternative forms

• ar, har

Pronunciation

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

Particle

ah (Manglish, Singlish)

1. 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, archived from the original on 18 April 2020:

     Only 2 ft apart considered safe ah?

2. 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?

3. 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.

4. A filler word separating the topic of a sentence and its comment.

   The drilling upstairs ah, non-stop leh.

5. A filler word used to ascertain the continued attention of the listener.

See also

• is it, izzit
• (Singlish particles): hor, know, lah, leh, liao, lor, mah, meh, one, sia, what

References

• “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, John Benjamins Publishing, →ISBN, page 121

Anagrams

• HA, Ha, ha, ha'

Afar

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈah/,

Pronoun

áh

1. this, these (masculine)

Declension

See also

References

• 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)‎, Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Albanian

Etymology

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

Noun

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

1. beech (Fagus sylvatica)

Hyponyms

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

Further reading

• “ah”, in FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎ (in Albanian), 1980
• “ah”, in FGJSH: Fjalor i gjuhës shqipe [Dictionary of the Albanian language] (in Albanian), 2006

Chickasaw

Etymology

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

Adverb

ah

1. yes

   Synonym: hohmi

Danish

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): /ɛː/, /ˈɛːɛ/, /ɑ̈ː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛː, -ɑ̈ː
• Hyphenation: ah

Interjection

ah

1. 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

2. 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

• “ah” in Den Danske Ordbog

Anagrams

• Ah, ha, HA

Esperanto

Etymology

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

Interjection

ah

1. ah, oh

Finnish

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑh/,
• Rhymes: -ɑh
• Syllabification^(key): ah

Interjection

ah

1. oh, ah

Further reading

• “ah”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Anagrams

• ha

French

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

• Audio

  (file)

Interjection

ah

1. ah

Derived terms

• ah bon

References

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

Further reading

• “ah”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Galician

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Interjection

ah

1. ah (expression of understanding, etc.)

References

• “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

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aː

Interjection

ah

1. expressing understanding
2. expressing contentment

Further reading

• “ah” in Duden online
• “ah” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Hokkien

Hungarian

Etymology

Involuntary expression of emotions: surprise, impatience, desire, sadness, refusal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -ɒx

Interjection

ah

1. ah
   • 1599-1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 1

     Ah jó uram, mit láttam én az éjjel!

     Ah, my good lord, what have I seen to-night!

References

Further reading

• ah in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• ah in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (‘A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2024)

Indonesian

Etymology

Unknown

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈah/
• Rhymes: -ah

Interjection

ah

1. oh, expresses compassion, surprise and dismay

Further reading

• “ah” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Ingrian

Alternative forms

• ak

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Interjection

ah

1. Exclamation of wonder: oh!

   Ah kui siä oot käppiä! ― Oh how beautiful you are!

References

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

Italian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Interjection

ah

1. (sarcastic) ah! (usually ironic or sarcastic)

   Synonym: ha

References

Anagrams

• ha

Juǀ'hoan

Pronunciation

• The murmured vowel IPA^(key): /a̤/

Letter

ah (upper case Ah)

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

Latin

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ā or perhaps *h₂eh₂.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aːh/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/,

Interjection

āh

1. ah

References

Further reading

• “ah”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ah”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Mokilese

Noun

ah

1. (one's) thing

Usage notes

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

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑx/

Conjunction

ah

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

Palikur

Etymology

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

Noun

ah n or f

1. (neuter) wood
2. (feminine) tree

References

• Languages of the Amazon (2012, →ISBN

Pohnpeian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɐː/
• Rhymes: -ɐː

Etymology 1

Noun

ah

1. The name of the Latin-script letter A.

Etymology 2

Noun

ah

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

Etymology 3

Conjunction

ah

1. 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

Alternative forms

• e
• eh

Determiner

ah

1. his, her, hers, its, third person singular possessive pronoun

   Liho iang ah pwoud.

   The woman joined her husband.

Etymology 5

Interjection

ah

1. Oh!; commonly used as an expression of approval.

   Ah, ke inenen mai.

   Oh, you are really good.

Portuguese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/
• Homophone: há

Interjection

ah!

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

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:ah.

Romanian

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection

ah

1. ah

Somali

Etymology

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

Verb

ah

1. (intransitive) To be

   Bariis oo macaan ah. ― Rice that is sweet.

Spanish

Etymology

Imitative, similar to French ah.

Pronunciation

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

Interjection

ah

1. ah (expression of relief, realization, awe)
2. ah (expression of woe, grief)

Related terms

Further reading

• “ah”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Anagrams

• ha

Sumerian

Romanization

ah

1. Romanization of 𒄴 (aḫ)

Swedish

Etymology

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

Interjection

ah

1. ah; an expression of relief

Anagrams

• ha

Tulu-Bohuai

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ah/

Noun

ah

1. coral lime (for chewing/eating with betelnut)

Further reading

• Bohuai
• Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988)

Vilamovian

Etymology

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

Interjection

ah

1. oh: expressing of surprise
2. oh: expressing wonder, amazement, or awe
3. oh: expressing understanding, recognition, or realization
4. oh: preceding an offhand or annoyed remark
5. oh: an invocation or address

Zou

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /àʔ/

Noun

ah

1. fowl
2. (specifically) chicken (Gallus gallus)

Derived terms

References

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