CANTONESE ↔ ENGLISH · CC-CANTO

了

Cantonese · source Jyutpingliu5#

(modal particle intensifying preceding clause)
(completed action marker)
to finish
to end
to settle
a final particle indicating change of situation to understand
a verb particle indicating possibility
to put in
to take away
to escape
flee in secret

Cantonese · source Jyutpinglaa1#

(modal particle intensifying preceding clause)
(completed action marker)
to finish
to end
to settle
a final particle indicating change of situation to understand
a verb particle indicating possibility
to put in
to take away
to escape
flee in secret

Cantonese · source Jyutpingliu4#

(modal particle intensifying preceding clause)
(completed action marker)
to finish
to end
to settle
a final particle indicating change of situation to understand
a verb particle indicating possibility
to put in
to take away
to escape
flee in secret

About these definitions

Source definition segments, in their original order. Characters a definition cites are shown without their Mandarin pinyin; classifier lists that CC-Canto copied from CC-CEDICT are marked Mandarin. The community dictionary is not independently verified by zimai.

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Mandarin ↔ Cantonese

Cantonese咗zo2↔Mandarin了le
Source note
CC-Canto line 26415: Cantonese particle equivalent to 了le [了] or 过guò [过], a particle used to indicate perfective aspect for continuous state
CC-CEDICT line 21370: Cantonese particle equivalent to 了[le5] or 過|过[guo4]
Cantonese嘍lo3↔Mandarin了le
Source note
CC-Canto line 26774: (final particle equivalent to 了le [了]) showing showing argumentative mood

Only equivalences a source states in its own words (“Mandarin equivalent”, “particle equivalent to”). Not a translation table: usage, register and senses can differ.

Reading & tones

liu55 · low rising

laa11 · high level

liu44 · low falling

Schematic citation-tone diagrams from the source numbers. These are not recordings or predictions of connected speech.

Same syllable, six tones

liu撂liu1liu2—liu3—疗liu4to treat 了liu5bright 料liu6to expect

Characters whose customary Unihan reading (kCantonese) is this syllable in each tone, chosen as in the tone atlas (2013 standard level, then the number of CC-CEDICT words they form), with CC-Canto 2017's meaning for that reading; a dash means no catalogue character has that reading. Checked syllables (-p, -t, -k) normally carry tones 1, 3 and 6. Character readings, not word readings; no frequency implied.

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Written characters

了

Both source spellings are represented. Written membership is not an etymological or semantic claim.

Cantonese characters and the Mandarin bridge ↗

Mandarin comparison · separate source entries

CC-CEDICT, the Mandarin–English dictionary, lists the same written form:

了 le CC-CEDICT · Mandarin(completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause)
了 liǎo CC-CEDICT · Mandarinto finish; (used with 得 dé or 不 bù after a verb to express (im)possibility, as in 忘不了 wàng bu liǎo "cannot forget"); (literary) (usually followed by a negative such as 無 wú or 不 bù) completely (not); entirely (not); (not) in the least; variant of 瞭 liǎo

A separate source entry, shown for comparison. The same characters can carry different senses in Mandarin and in Cantonese; zimai does not align these senses.

CC-Canto includes this pinyin reference: le5. It does not establish a Mandarin word with the same meaning.

Look up this spelling in the Mandarin dictionary ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 13 senses · 4 Cantonese readings