entries → 呀
TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
呀 character · TOCFL 1 (est.)
呀 ＝ 口 ＋ 牙
˙ㄧㄚ · ya
particle — ah, oh (surprise, emphasis); ya

字源 FORM — what the parts do

口義a mouth — this is a sound that gets said
牙聲yá — gives the soundtooth, the interlocking molars
Tyá → ya — the full tone drops to a light particle
A mouth (口) and 牙 yá for the sound — a noise the mouth makes, worn down to a toothless particle. It rides the end of a sentence to mark surprise or to soften: 是呀、好呀、來呀.
意 · Meanings
(本義)呀— ah, oh (particle)常用
→是呀、好呀— sentence-final softener常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
牙yáthe lookalike — 牙 is the bare tooth; 呀 sets a mouth 口 beside it for the spoken particle啊＝ 口 ＋ 阿athe cousin particle — same job, built on 阿 instead of 牙