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Cantonese Particles - Part I |
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Written by Taospark
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Sunday, 26 November 2006 |
Anyone who's heard Cantonese, and especially attendees of our classes, have noticed small melodic particles at the end of some nouns and verbs in the dialect - something unique and mostly absent from both Mandarin and English. Particles in Cantonese add a very nice element to the spoken language and although it can be awkward at first, you'll soon see how integral and great a part of Cantonese they are. Although they have representing characters in written Chinese, these particles are really the star of the spoken part of the show.
Can you see these Chinese characters? (百老匯) If not, click here for directions on how to view them with no downloads or cost.
Editor's Note: This article appearing below, which appears on our Message Board and in our Meetup Group's site, comes with the gracious help of Violet from the keyboard of Clyde Law (羅啟迪), from our U.K. counterpart, Cantonese Sheik.
INTRODUCTION
Cantonese is a language that's famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) for its sentence final particles (尾音 mei2 jam1). In English, we usually modify the mood or meaning of a sentence by uttering it in a different tone. However, since Cantonese is a tonal language, where changing the tone of a word may actually change the word into a different word, there is much less flexibility to do so. This is where the sentence final particles come in. These particles are often used to modify the mood or sometimes even the meaning of a sentence. Its purported that Cantonese may have up to a hundred of these particles, but in reality the ones used in daily life number much less. This article lists some of the most common ones encountered in everyday speech.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
It should also be noted that learners should not attempt to use these particles until they fully understand their usage. Using the wrong particle in a sentence may make a sentence sound extremely funny, strange, or even rude and insulting. It is okay for students of Cantonese to leave out particles most of the time when they are still learning; the main meaning of the sentence will still be conveyed. However, to become fully fluent, the particles should eventually be mastered. Students of Cantonese should try to learn only a few at a time and verify with native Cantonese speakers to ensure that they are being correctly used.
You may also notice that more than one particle can be combined in some cases. This is explained further near the end of the article. Also at the end of the article is an explanation about the Chinese characters used to write the particles.
BASIC PARTICLES
The following list is a list of the most common particles that should be mastered first. The usage of some of these particles may be necessary to convey the correct meaning in a statement or question.
Pronunciation
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Character
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Explanation
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Example
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aa3
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呀 |
Used in neutral questions. Also used to
soften the tone of affirmative statements so they don't sound as
abrupt.
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你去邊處呀? |
| Where are you going? |
| 我返屋企呀
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| I'm going home. |
ge3
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嘅 |
Used in assertions where something is emphasized
(usually 係 hai6 is in
front of what is being emphasized). Pronouncing it as ge2
adds a sense of puzzlement about the situation. This is
equivalent to the Mandarin/written Chinese 的 dik1.
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我係今日返屋企嘅
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| I'm going home today. (the "today" is emphasized) |
gaa3
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㗎 |
Contraction of the combination 嘅呀
ge3 aa3. Pronouncing it as gaa2 adds a sense of
reservation or doubt about the situation.
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你係幾時返來㗎?
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When are you coming back? (the "when" is emphasized)
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| laak3 |
嘞 |
Indicates a change of situation or a past event
that has occured and adds a sense of current relevence to the
statement. This is equivalent to the Mandarin/written
Chinese sentence final 了 liu5. |
佢返咗屋企嘞
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| He went home. |
| laa3 |
嚹 or 啦 |
(same as 嘞 laak3) |
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| laa1 |
喇 or 啦 |
Used in requests and imperatives. This is one
particle where leaving it out could make the sentence sound rude,
so learners should attempt to master this particle. This is
equivalent to the Mandarin/written Chinese sentence final 吧
baa6. |
返來喇 |
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Come back [please]. |
mei6
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未 |
Used in questions asking whether an action has been
done yet.
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佢返來未?
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Has he come back yet?
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sin1
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先 |
Can be used to mean "first" in a
sentence. In questions, it may impart a sense of impatience.
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我哋等佢返來先
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| We'll wait for him to come back first.
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你返唔返來先?
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Are you coming
back or not? [Answer me quickly.]
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tim1
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添 |
Can be used to mean "also,"
"too," or "as well" in a sentence (usually
occurs with 重 zung6).
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我重要返屋企添 |
| I still have to go home as well. |
Editor's Note: Keep on reading and click the link below for advanced particles
CLICK FOR PART II - ADVANCED PARTICLES
Have any questions about this article? Want to add something?
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 26 November 2006 )
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