阿 ā — hill; prefix; flatter · English

阿

hill; prefix; flatter

At a glance · 阿

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从阜（阝）可声，形声字，本指大丘陵。隶楷作「阿」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「阿」本指山丘弯曲处，引申为迎合、亲昵之称。

Structure

形声字，阜（左阝）为意符，可为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinā

Radical阝

Strokes8

UnicodeU+963F

Character type形声

Theme地理

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English hill; prefix; flatter A large hill; a prefix; to flatter (ē).

Français colline; préfixe; flatter Une colline; un préfixe; flatter (ē).

Español colina; prefijo; adulzar Una colina; prefijo; adulzar (ē).

العربية تل؛ بادئة؛ يطأطئ تل أو بادئة أو يُطأطئ (يتملق).

Русский холм; приставка; льстить Большой холм; приставка; льстить (э).

Common words

阿āprefix
阿衡ā héngAh Heng

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