Pinyin final: "ai1"

The Pinyin final "ai1" is used in the second half of Pinyin syllables. In MandarinBanana's mnemonic system, the second half of a Pinyin syllable is always represented by a location. You can visit the Pinyin index to see all Pinyin syllables from this mnemonic group, or to see all Pinyin syllables "ai1" can appear in.

Mnemonics for ai1

In front of the airplane.

Characters with ai1

开
開
ka̅i = k + ai1
to open / to start / to turn on / to boil / to write out (a prescription, check, invoice etc) / to operate (a vehicle) / carat (gold) / abbr. for Kelvin, 開爾文|开尔文[Kai1 er3 wen2] / abbr. for 開本|开本[kai1 ben3], book format
开 = 一 + 廾 : A bottle opener. Karl Marx is sitting in front of the airplane, begging for money. He's playing a flute and has his bottle opener ready for the next beer, but unfortunately, he'll be carried away, his hands cuffed, soon.
差
cha̅i = ch + ai1
to send (on an errand) / (archaic) person sent on such an errand / job; official post
该
該
ga̅i = g + ai1
should / ought to / probably / must be / to deserve / to owe / to be sb's turn to do sth / that / the above-mentioned
该 = 亥 + 讠 : In front of the airplane, Guy Fawkes sees an advertisement on an advertising column about a boar which is for sale. He thinks to himself that he should free the animals too. They deserve it.
呆
da̅i = d + ai1
foolish / stupid / expressionless / blank / to stay
呆 = 口 + 木 : The fool wants to make fun of Don Quixote in front of the airplane. To fool him, he set up a Christmas tree to look like a huge animal by putting a mandarin on top which looks like the head of the animal. Don Quixote thinks he met his arch enemy and starts to charge the construction, much to the fool's delight.
拍
pa̅i = p + ai1
to pat / to clap / to slap / to swat / to take (a photo) / to shoot (a film) / racket (sports) / beat (music)
拍 = 扌 + 白 : Pinocchio (p) is spinning a white flag (白) in front of the airplane (ai1). He is throwing and catching the flag with a toy claw (扌). Many people stop to watch and applaud (拍) him.
待
da̅i = d + ai1
to stay
待 = 寺 + 彳 : In front of the airplane someone devoted huge black sneakers to the local buddhist shrine. Don Quixote fits into them with his whole body and the sneakers are so cozy that he thinks he could stay like this forever.
灾
災
za̅i = z + ai1
disaster / calamity
灾 = 宀 + 火 : Zorro (z) just earned his PhD and is celebrating it with a bonfire (火) in front of the airplane (ai1), but then he accidentally drops his graduation cap (宀) and his certificate into the fire! What a disaster (灾)!
灾
烖
za̅i = z + ai1
variant of 災|灾[zai1]
灾 = 宀 + 火 : Zorro (z) just earned his PhD and is celebrating it with a bonfire (火) in front of the airplane (ai1), but then he accidentally drops his graduation cap (宀) and his certificate into the fire! What a disaster (灾)!
灾
菑
za̅i = z + ai1
old variant of 災|灾[zai1]
灾 = 宀 + 火 : Zorro (z) just earned his PhD and is celebrating it with a bonfire (火) in front of the airplane (ai1), but then he accidentally drops his graduation cap (宀) and his certificate into the fire! What a disaster (灾)!
猜
ca̅i = c + ai1
to guess
猜 = 犭 + 青 : The dachshund (犭) is sitting in a fisher boat and floating over the water of the fountain of youth (青) in front of the airplane (ai1) as he notices a person floating towards him on a raft made of branches. He closely watches the person, the exclaims: “我猜到你是谁了！”“你猜到我是谁了？”“你是楚霸王 (c)！”
摘
zha̅i = zh + ai1
to take / to borrow / to pick (flowers, fruit etc) / to pluck / to select / to remove / to take off (glasses, hat etc)
摘 = 啇 + 扌 : James II of England (zh) is borrowing (摘) one of the trees in front of the airplane (ai1) by plucking out (摘) its stem (啇) with a toy claw (扌).
拆
cha̅i = ch + ai1
to tear open / to tear down / to tear apart / to open
拆 = 扌 + 斥 : Charlie Chaplin (ch) tries to tear down (拆) the salt marshes (斥) in front of the airplane (ai1) with a toy claw (扌), but it is really tedious to grab every salt crystal and every drop of water individually.
摔
shua̅i = shu + ai1
to throw down / to fall / to drop and break
摔 = 扌 + 率 : Sheldon Shrimp (shu) drops his toy claw (扌) in front of the airplane (ai1), and the shock soon gets replaced by amazement as he realizes that the toy claw broke (摔) exactly according to the golden ratio (率).
呙
咼
wa̅i = w + ai1
lopsided / Taiwan pr. [kuai1]
呙 = 内 + 口 : Willy Walrus (w) has been accused of stealing two mandarins (口) in front of the airplane (ai1). He refuses to open his bag, so the arriving police has to put him into a CT (内) to see into (内) his bag. On the CT screen they see Willy Walrus and two lopsided (呙) mandarins in his bag.
咳
ha̅i = h + ai1
sound of sighing / (interjection expressing surprise, sorrow, regret, disappointment etc) oh / damn / wow
塞
sa̅i = s + ai1
to stop up / to squeeze in / to stuff / cork / stopper
塞
sa̅i = s + ai1
Serbia / Serbian / abbr. for 塞爾維亞|塞尔维亚[Sai1 er3 wei2 ya4]
侧
側
zha̅i = zh + ai1
lean on one side
挨
a̅i = Ø + ai1
in order / in sequence / close to / adjacent to
挨 = 扌 + 矣 : The contestants of the TV show (矣) are lining up in front of the airplane (ai1), and so does Albert Einstein (Ø). The contestants are going to endure being beaten with toy claws (扌) one after the other (挨).
挨
a̅i = Ø + ai1
in order; in sequence / close to; adjacent to