How is 咳 pronounced?

咳 is pronounced “hāi” in pinyin.

What HSK level is 咳?

咳 belongs to HSK 5 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

How do you write 咳?

Follow the stroke-order animation above; 咳 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

HSK 5verbinterjection

咳

hāi

咳 (hāi) means “sound of sighing; (interjection expressing surprise, sorrow, regret, disappointment etc) oh; damn; wow”. It is an HSK 5 Chinese character in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

Stroke order

Practice writingUnlock HSK 5 required

Example

咳，算了吧。

Hāi, suàn le ba.

Sigh, forget it.

Words containing 咳

咳嗽ké souto cough; CL:陣|阵[zhen4]

More HSK 5 vocabulary

HSK 5 →

哎āihey!; (interjection used to attract attention or to express surprise or disapprobation)唉āiinterjection or grunt of agreement or recognition (e.g. yes, it's me!); to sigh 爱护ài hùto cherish; to treasure; to take care of; to love and protect 爱惜ài xīto cherish; to treasure; to use sparingly 爱心ài xīncompassion; kindness; care for others; love; charity (bazaar, golf day etc); heart (the symbol ♥)安慰ān wèito comfort; to console 安装ān zhuāngto install; to erect; to fix; to mount; installation 岸ànvariant of 岸暗ànvariant of 暗熬夜áo yèto stay up late or all night 把握bǎ wòto grasp (also fig.); to seize; to hold; assurance; certainty; sure (of the outcome)摆bǎito arrange; to exhibit; to move to and fro; a pendulum

Frequently asked questions

What does 咳 mean?: 咳 (hāi) means “sound of sighing; (interjection expressing surprise, sorrow, regret, disappointment etc) oh; damn; wow”. It is an HSK 5 word.
How is 咳 pronounced?: 咳 is pronounced “hāi” in pinyin.
What HSK level is 咳?: 咳 belongs to HSK 5 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.
How do you write 咳?: Follow the stroke-order animation above; 咳 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

Updated: 2026-07-18