liao
Language: English
Part of speech: particle
Pronunciation: ipa: [ljaʊ˨˩]
ipa: [ljaʊ˨]
note: in fixed expressions from Hokkien
ipa: [ljaʊ˦˨]
Forms: form: leow
form: lo
form: loh
Etymology: Borrowed from Hokkien 了 (liáu) and Teochew 了 (liao²), with tone and spelling influenced by Mandarin 了 (liǎo) and its romanization in Hanyu Pinyin.
Senses: examples: text: I run 4 laps liao.
translation: I just ran 4 laps.
english: I just ran 4 laps.
text: You decorate the cake liao?
translation: Have you decorated the cake yet?
english: Have you decorated the cake yet?
bold_translation_offsets: 0
4
text: I’ve been working for six months liao.
translation: I’ve been working for six months already.
english: I’ve been working for six months already.
bold_translation_offsets: 33
40
synonyms: already
glosses: Indicates action completion, or more generally, perfective aspect.
examples: text: It’s going to rain liao.
translation: It’s going to start raining soon.
english: It’s going to start raining soon.
bold_translation_offsets: 14
19
text: Reach liao, give me a call.
translation: Give me a call when you’ve reached.
english: Give me a call when you’ve reached.
bold_translation_offsets: 15
19
text: Damn shag liao, need to go back and sleep.
translation: I’m really tired now, I need to go back and sleep.
english: I’m really tired now, I need to go back and sleep.
bold_translation_offsets: 17
20
text: It was a weekday and I asked for a bowl of hokkien mee. The old lady told me “No more liao, you came too late”. Ok fine, it was my fault on getting here too late.
ref: 2007 November 27, stevengoh, “No More 2nd Time – Super Hokkien Mee, One Corner Cafe”, in stevengoh.com:
text: “Of course I’m sympathetic […] But you’re dead liao mah. Your parents also were suffering. Angry for what now?”
ref: 2013, Zen Cho, “Balik Kampung (Going Back)”, in Jonathan Oliver, editor, End of the Road, Solaris, →ISBN:
text: McKing then asks, “Will there be a tree of sadness?”
“No?” I utter, begrudgingly and slightly confused.
“Cured liao lor,” he says.
ref: 2019 February 25, Shaun Tan, “This Singaporean Dude Invited Us to Be Hypnotised, Then It Got Weird”, in ricemedia.co, archived from the original on 07 Sep 2025:
synonyms: already
glosses: Marks a change in state, more or less in the same manner as the inchoative aspect (see usage notes).
examples: text: Go liao!
translation: What are you waiting for? It’s time to go!
english: What are you waiting for? It’s time to go!
synonyms: already
glosses: Marks a change in state, more or less in the same manner as the inchoative aspect (see usage notes).
Used to emphasize that something has to be done now.
raw_tags: with imperatives
Related terms: word: die liao
word: mai tu liao
word: si liao
word: win liao lor
word: what
word: lah1–14
word: lor2–3
word: lor1
word: ah6–7
word: leh1–2
word: mah
word: leh3–6
word: one1–3
word: hor1
word: know
word: nia
word: only
word: sia
word: hor2
word: ah1–3
word: hah1–3
word: meh
word: ba2
word: leh7–11
word: ba1
word: already
urls: https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0378-2166%2892%2990106-l
word: Gupta
urls: https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0378-2166%2892%2990106-l
word: A. F. (1992)
urls: https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0378-2166%2892%2990106-l
word: in
urls: https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0378-2166%2892%2990106-l
word: volume 18
urls: https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0378-2166%2892%2990106-l
word: number 1
urls: https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0378-2166%2892%2990106-l
word: →DOI
english: unrelated etymologically
translation: unrelated etymologically
word: bo liao