了
Pinyin IPA [lɤ] Zhuyin
HSK 1 particle 助词 Book 1 · Lesson 5 freq #3
Meaning
- particle 助词 used at the end of or in the middle of a sentence to indicate a change or a new circumstance
An aspect particle with two core uses: after a verb it marks a completed action (我买了一本书 'I bought a book'); at the end of a sentence it marks a change or new situation (下雨了 'it's raining now').
- (completed action marker)
- (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now)
- (modal particle intensifying preceding clause)
Examples
| 他来了。 | tā lái le | He came. |
| 下了雨。 | xià le yǔ | It rained. |
| 我买了。 | wǒ mǎi le | I'm buying. |
Other Pronunciations 多音字
[liǎo] to finish; (used with 得[de2] or 不[bu4] after a verb to express (im)possibility, as in 忘不了[wang4 bu5 liao3] "cannot forget"); (literary) (usually followed by a negative such as 無|无[wu2] or 不[bu4]) completely (not); entirely (not); (not) in the least; to understand clearly (variant of 瞭|了[liao3]) beyond HSK 1 usage
[liǎo] (of eyes) bright; clear-sighted; to understand clearly beyond HSK 1 usage
[liào] unofficial variant of 瞭[liao4] beyond HSK 1 usage
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