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啦

Mandarin · pinyin lā#

(onom.) sound of singing, cheering etc
(phonetic)
(dialect) to chat

Mandarin · pinyin la#

sentence-final particle, contraction of 了啊, indicating exclamation
particle placed after each item in a list of examples

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啦: la · final particle of assertion

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

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Mandarin tones

1 · la1

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

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1character link7same-tone records

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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.

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

la1 · laa1

Cantonese word readings for 啦. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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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, colloquial) contraction of 了啊 (le a) — Used at the end of a sentence to indicate a change of state with a strong emotion.
(Mandarin, colloquial) contraction of 了啊 (le a) — Used at the end of a sentence to inform the beginning of an action with a strong emotion.

character · Etymology 3

(Cantonese) Placed at the end of a sentence in imperatives making it sound more like a request than an order.
(onomatopoeia) cheering sound

character · Etymology 4

(Hokkien) Used as a final particle to indicate, focus on, or exclaim a topic, subject, declaration.
(Hokkien) Used as a final particle to express exhortation.
(Xiamen and Taiwanese Hokkien) already; now (Used as a final perfective particle to denote completion.)
(Taiwanese Hokkien) Used as a final perfunctory particle to denote displeasure, unwillingness, and perfunctoriness.

character · Etymology 5

Placed on the end of a sentence to indicate a yes-no question.

character · Etymology 6

Used to indicate a persistent questioning tone
Used to indicate berating tone

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

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