DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
叻
Mandarin · pinyin lè
Meanings
- (used in place names)
Characters in this entry
- 叻
- lè · used in place names; (Cant.) smart, clever
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4 · le4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
1character link19same-tone records
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
lak6 · lek1 · lik1 · lik6
Cantonese word readings for 叻. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character · Etymology 1
- (Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew) smart; clever; capable; good (at something)
- (Teochew) good
character · Etymology 2
- (abbreviation, alt-of) short for 石叻 (Shílè, “Singapore”)
character · Etymology 3
- Used in transcription (chiefly Southeast Asian place names transcribed into Hokkien or Teochew).
character · Etymology 4
- (Internet slang) alternative form of 了 — Used at the end of a sentence to indicate a change of state.
- (Internet slang) alternative form of 了 — Used at the end of a sentence to inform the beginning of an action.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack