ahi

\a.i\

/\a.i\/ intj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“ahi” is uncommon French (frequency #93,465 among 424,905 “A” headwords), classed as an interjection. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#93,465
frequency rank, French
424,905
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Cri qui exprime la douleur.

Key facts for ahi
PropertyValue
Headwordahi
LanguageFrench
Part of speechInterjection
IPA\a.i\
Letters3
Frequency rank#93,465
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ahi” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). ahi lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ahi is uncommon French at frequency #93,465 among 424,905 “A” headwords, classed as aninterjection, transcribed \a.i\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for ahi in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is ahi, spelled A-H-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Cri qui exprime la douleur.
  2. 2
    Exclamation exprimant l’embarras ou l’empathie qu’éprouve une personne lorsqu’elle se projette dans une situation incommodante ou dangereuse qu’est en train de vivre quelqu’un ou quelque chose ou bien qu’elle-même ou une autre a failli vivre.
  3. 3
    Expression ivoirienne exprimant un état d’étonnement, de surprise, d’incompréhension. •"Ahii ? Qu’est ce que tu racontes ?"

Synonyms

aïeahiahiaayayaaïe

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ahi"?
"ahi" is spelled A-H-I. The IPA pronunciation is \a.i\.
What does "ahi" mean?
As an interjection, "ahi" means: Cri qui exprime la douleur.
How do you pronounce "ahi"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ahi" is \a.i\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ahi" come from?
"ahi" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “ahi”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is A-H-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \a.i\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list