了 — particle "already"
particle "already"
How to pronounce it
了 is read le. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “了”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 了. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 太贵了tàiguìleToo expensive!
- 我买了三个苹果。wǒmǎilesāngepíngguǒI bought three apples.
- 你买了什么？nǐmǎileshénmeWhat did you buy?
- 我买了一件新衣服wǒmǎileyíjiànxīnyīfuI bought a new piece of clothing.
- 太贵了便宜一点儿吧tàiguìle,piányiyìdiǎnrbaToo expensive, make it a bit cheaper.
- 你到了吗？nǐdàolemaAre you there yet?
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Expensive and cheap”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
What does 了 mean?
了 (le) means “particle "already"”.
How do you write 了?
了 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 了?
了 is read le. Tones: le — neutral tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“particle "already"” in the lesson “Expensive and cheap”
This word is from the topic “Food and shopping” of HSK 1. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free