DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

吧

Mandarin · pinyin bā#

bar (loanword) (serving drinks, or providing Internet access etc)
to puff (on a pipe etc)
(onom.) bang
abbr. for 貼吧 tiē bā

Mandarin · pinyin ba#

(modal particle indicating suggestion or surmise)
...right?
...OK?
...I presume.

Mandarin · pinyin biā#

(onom.) smack!

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

吧: ba · emphatic final particle

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1 · ba1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link33same-tone records1source reference

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Sentences in context

Explore 2 examples using 吧 ↗

Exact source-spelling matches. Open the reader for dictionary lookups, construction notes and related examples. Occurrence does not establish a particular dictionary sense.

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.

吧 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 13 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

baa1 · baa6

Cantonese word readings for 吧. 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

(Mandarin) Emphatic final particle; used at the end of a sentence to — indicate a suggested action: why don't you ...; let us ...
(Mandarin) Emphatic final particle; used at the end of a sentence to — indicate a speculation.
(Mandarin) Used at the end of a sentence used to concede a point.
(Mandarin) Used at the end of a sentence used to indicate disapproving incredulousness.
(Mandarin) Used after the topic for emphasis.

character · Etymology 2

(onomatopoeia) sound of crackling; crack

character · Etymology 2

(onomatopoeia) pow!; smack!

character · Etymology 3

(dialectal) to smoke (a cigarette)

character · Etymology 4

(Mandarin) bar
(Mandarin, abbreviation, alt-of) short for 貼吧／贴吧 (Tiēbā, “internet board”)
(Mandarin) Used in transcription.

character · Etymology 5

(Mandarin) only used in 吧呀

character · Etymology 5

(Mandarin) only used in 吧呀

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack