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埃 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
埃āifine dust; dirt; Angstromns, 10 strokes, radical 土, rank #6761, Hard
埃āidustunknown, 10 strokes, radical 土, rank #6761, Hard
埃āiAngstrom or Ångström, unit of length equal to 10^-10 metersunknown, 10 strokes, radical 土, rank #6761, Hard
埃āiphonetic ai or eunknown, 10 strokes, radical 土, rank #6761, Hard
埃āiabbr. for Egypt 埃及[Ai1 ji2]unknown, 10 strokes, radical 土, rank #6761, Hard
āi(ai1) T1
  1. 1fine dust; dirt; Angstrom
  2. 2dust
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

埃āi(ai1)

The character 埃 (āi) primarily refers to fine dust or dirt, often used in contexts related to cleanliness or environmental conditions. It is also a unit of measurement, the Angstrom, which is equal to 10^-10 meters, commonly used in fields like physics and chemistry to describe atomic and molecular dimensions.

Strokes10Radical土Frequency#6761DifficultyHard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, cleanliness is highly valued, and the concept of dust (埃) often comes up in discussions about health and hygiene, especially in urban environments with pollution.

Memory Tip

Imagine a dust storm (埃) blowing through the air, casting a fine layer of dirt all around. The sound 'āi' rhymes with 'eye', as if you were squinting through the dust to see clearly. The character combines the radical for earth (土) with a phonetic component, emphasizing its connection to things found on the ground.

Meanings of 埃

āi(ai1)
1fine dust; dirt; Angstrom
2dust
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 埃

埃Simplified
10Strokes
土Radical
地名míngcíplace name (p.n.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 埃

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Podcast: 埃

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 埃

Usage Notes

Be cautious not to confuse 埃 with other similar-sounding characters. It is generally used in more formal or technical contexts, especially when discussing measurements. Common collocations include 埃及 (Egypt) and other phrases related to dust or measurement.

HSK Study Tips

While 埃 is not part of the standard HSK curriculum, understanding its usage in scientific contexts can be beneficial for advanced learners. Students should focus on recognizing it in both everyday language and technical discussions related to science.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 埃 with similar characters like 碎 (suì) which means 'broken' or 'shattered'. Remember, 埃 specifically relates to dust or fine particles, not physical damage.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 埃

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Etymology of 埃

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

earth

Semantic (meaning)土
+
Phonetic (sound)矣
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 埃

  1. 1The meaning half土 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half矣 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayearth
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 埃? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 埃?

Decomposition of 埃

IDS Structure⿰土矣
埃Full Character
=
土Tu3
left
矣yi3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 埃?

How to say fine dust; dirt; Angstrom in Chinese

“fine dust; dirt; Angstrom” in Chinese is埃āi

The character 埃 (āi) primarily refers to fine dust or dirt, often used in contexts related to cleanliness or environmental conditions. It is also a unit of measurement, the Angstrom, which is equal to 10^-10 meters, commonly used in fields like physics and chemistry to describe atomic and molecular dimensions.

When to use 埃

Be cautious not to confuse 埃 with other similar-sounding characters. It is generally used in more formal or technical contexts, especially when discussing measurements. Common collocations include 埃及 (Egypt) and other phrases related to dust or measurement.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 埃 with similar characters like 碎 (suì) which means 'broken' or 'shattered'. Remember, 埃 specifically relates to dust or fine particles, not physical damage.

Write 埃

埃

Practice writing 埃 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Grammar Patterns of 埃

埃 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). It carries 5 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 5

Complete the Sentence

____勒里的归来可以驱散一些抑郁的情绪。

Ellery's return will help to chase away some of the gloom.

Example Sentences for 埃 (28)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
埃勒里的归来可以驱散一些抑郁的情绪。

āi lè lǐ de guī lái kě yǐ qū sàn yī xiē yì yù de qíng xù。

Ellery's return will help to chase away some of the gloom.
2
类似劳埃德保险公司的那些丑闻令伦敦名声扫地。

lèi sì láo āi dé bǎo xiǎn gōng sī de nà xiē chǒu wén líng lún dūn míng shēng sǎo dì。

The City's reputation has been sullied by scandals like those at Lloyd's.
3
托尼微笑着举起杯子。“为你干一杯，埃米。”

tuō ní wēi xiào zháo jǔ qǐ bēi zǐ。“ 。“ wéi nǐ gān yī， bēi ，。”

Tony smiled and lifted his glass. "Here's to you, Amy."
4
埃德温·H.康格是特命全权公使。

āi dé wēn·H. ·H. kāng gé shì tè mìng quán quán gōng。

Edwin H. Conger was envoy extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.
5
最吸引人注意的是皮埃尔·奥古斯特·雷诺阿的油画。

zuì xī yǐn rén zhù yì de shì pí āi ěr· · ào gǔ sī· tè · léi nuò ā de。

The centre of attraction was Pierre Auguste Renoir's oil painting.
6
他是管理劳埃德保险公司的执行委员会成员。

tā shì guǎn lǐ láo āi dé bǎo xiǎn gōng sī de zhí háng wěi yuán huì chéng yuán。

He sits on the executive committee that manages Lloyds.
7
埃米一想到这件事，就觉得脸红。

āi mǐ yī xiǎng dào zhè jiàn shì， ， jiù jué dé liǎn。

Amy felt the colour rising in her cheeks at the thought.
8
一到达埃尔金，一日游的游客就参观了一些当地的风景名胜。

yī dào dá āi ěr jīn， ， yī rì yóu de yóu kè jiù cān guān le yī xiē dāng dì de fēng jǐng míng。

Once at Elgin day-trippers visit a number of local sights.
9
她因在百老汇出演了一部诺埃尔·科沃德的戏一炮而红。

tā yīn zài bǎi lǎo huì chū yǎn le yī bù nuò āi ěr· · kē wò dé de xì yī páo ér。

She shot to stardom on Broadway in a Noel Coward play.
10
他轻松战胜了星期六击败厄尼·埃尔斯的加西亚。

tā qīng sōng zhàn shèng le xīng qī liù jī bài è ní· · āi ěr sī de jiā xī。

He easily overcame Garcia, Saturday's conqueror of Ernie Els.
11
窗户上有很多埃，请用布擦一下。

Chuānghù shàng yǒu hěn duō āi, qǐng yòng bù cā yīxià.

There is a lot of dust on the window, please wipe it with a cloth.
12
孩子们在外面玩耍，身上都是埃。

Háizimen zài wàimiàn wánshuǎ, shēnshang dōu shì āi.

The children played outside and were covered in dirt.
13
桌子上有一层埃，你需要打扫一下。

Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yī céng āi, nǐ xūyào dǎsǎo yīxià.

There is a layer of dust on the table; you need to clean it.
14
我们看见阳光中漂浮着细小的埃。

Wǒmen kànjiàn yángguāng zhōng piāofúzhe xìxiǎo de āi.

We saw fine dust floating in the sunlight.
15
书架上有很多埃，要用抹布擦干净。

Shūjià shàng yǒu hěn duō āi, yào yòng mābù cā gānjìng.

There is a lot of dust on the bookshelf, you need to wipe it clean with a cloth.
16
阳光照进来时，我可以看到空气中的埃。

Yángguāng zhào jìnlái shí, wǒ kěyǐ kàn dào kōngqì zhōng de āi.

When the sunlight shines in, I can see the dust in the air.
17
窗户上有很多埃，请用布擦一下。

Chuānghù shàng yǒu hěn duō āi, qǐng yòng bù cā yīxià.

There is a lot of dust on the window, please wipe it with a cloth.
18
孩子们在外面玩耍，身上都是埃。

Háizimen zài wàimiàn wánshuǎ, shēnshang dōu shì āi.

The children played outside and were covered in dirt.
19
桌子上有一层埃，你需要打扫一下。

Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yī céng āi, nǐ xūyào dǎsǎo yīxià.

There is a layer of dust on the table; you need to clean it.
20
我们看见阳光中漂浮着细小的埃。

Wǒmen kànjiàn yángguāng zhōng piāofúzhe xìxiǎo de āi.

We saw fine dust floating in the sunlight.
21
书架上有很多埃，要用抹布擦干净。

Shūjià shàng yǒu hěn duō āi, yào yòng mābù cā gānjìng.

There is a lot of dust on the bookshelf, you need to wipe it clean with a cloth.
22
阳光照进来时，我可以看到空气中的埃。

Yángguāng zhào jìnlái shí, wǒ kěyǐ kàn dào kōngqì zhōng de āi.

When the sunlight shines in, I can see the dust in the air.
23
窗户上有很多埃，请用布擦一下。

Chuānghù shàng yǒu hěn duō āi, qǐng yòng bù cā yīxià.

There is a lot of dust on the window, please wipe it with a cloth.
24
孩子们在外面玩耍，身上都是埃。

Háizimen zài wàimiàn wánshuǎ, shēnshang dōu shì āi.

The children played outside and were covered in dirt.
25
桌子上有一层埃，你需要打扫一下。

Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yī céng āi, nǐ xūyào dǎsǎo yīxià.

There is a layer of dust on the table; you need to clean it.
26
我们看见阳光中漂浮着细小的埃。

Wǒmen kànjiàn yángguāng zhōng piāofúzhe xìxiǎo de āi.

We saw fine dust floating in the sunlight.
27
书架上有很多埃，要用抹布擦干净。

Shūjià shàng yǒu hěn duō āi, yào yòng mābù cā gānjìng.

There is a lot of dust on the bookshelf, you need to wipe it clean with a cloth.
28
阳光照进来时，我可以看到空气中的埃。

Yángguāng zhào jìnlái shí, wǒ kěyǐ kàn dào kōngqì zhōng de āi.

When the sunlight shines in, I can see the dust in the air.

Word Family of 埃

Words Containing This Character13
埃āidust
埃及Egypt
埃文Evan
苏维埃Soviet (council)蘇維埃
埃塞俄比亚Ethiopia埃塞俄比亞
劳埃德Lloyd (name)勞埃德
皮埃尔Pierre (name)皮埃爾
埃因霍温Eindhoven (city in the Netherlands)埃因霍溫
尘埃dust塵埃
埃德Ed (name - Eduard)
埃弗顿Everton soccer team埃弗頓
埃文斯Evans
埃米尔Amir埃米爾
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 埃 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 埃

In everyday language, 埃 refers to fine dust or dirt, often in contexts of cleanliness.

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