Natural way to end conversation and leave room

[xinoxanu]

@realmayo I mean it's just an interjection, so en, ah, oh or ha are exactly the same, but 嗯 is just the most common character to transcribe that sound as an standalone thing. You wouldn't use it at the end of a sentence like 啊  or 哦 though.

 

@Shelley probably yes, but I'd say that in this kind of situation those are the most common ones AFAIK. But:

 

- There's also 嘛. Used at the end of a sentence has a connotation of something being obvious.

- You can technically string a couple of these onomatopoeias together, but it's kinda childish and I haven't really seen it in real life outside of people just being silly.

[realmayo]

I was referring to the spoken language. All I know is it sounds like a very clear "a" not "en".

- but it could be dialect, I dunno.

[xinoxanu]

Me too and I clearly hear something that sounds more like a "angh" other than just "ah". That nasal sound is quite noticeable. 

 

Anyway, what I am saying is not gospel and we both might be right. 

[Shelley]

Wow, I didn't realise what a can of worms I had opened with such a simple word as 啊 .

I definitely hear ah and never heard of en.

I will definitely listen more carefully next time I come across it.

[xinoxanu]

Mmm

 

I forgot to mention the generation gap and I've noticed that older folks (about +70) will say 哦 to acknowledge what you are saying instead of the other alternatives. 

 

Whenever a grandma says that I can't stop feeling she's looking down on me though... but maybe that's because in my native languages that's a rude interjection ?