咿呀 (yīyā): (onomatopoeia) the babble of an…

Meanings

1 (onomatopoeia) the babble of an infant learning to speak
2 the creaking of an oar/door
3 babbling sound

Characters

咿

yī

(onom.) babble; squeak

呀

yā

(onom.) ah; creak

Examples

宝宝已经会咿呀学语了。

Bǎobao yǐjīng huì yīyā xué yǔ le.

The baby has started babbling and learning to talk.

小船在水面上咿呀作响。

Xiǎo chuán zài shuǐmiàn shàng yīyā zuò xiǎng.

The little boat creaked across the water.

Tips

usage

Two main uses: (1) baby talk — almost always in the set phrase 咿呀学语 (yīyā xuéyǔ, "to babble and learn to speak"); (2) the creaking of an oar, door hinge, or rocking boat. Both build on the high front "yi-ya" sound — the very first vowels a baby produces, and the same pitch as wood under stress.

memory

Both characters carry the 口 mouth radical — a strong visual cue that this word is a sound.