了

See also: 瞭

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

了 (Kangxi radical 6, 亅+1, 2 strokes, cangjie input 弓弓 (NN), four-corner 1720₇, composition ⿱乛亅)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 85, character 11
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 226
• Dae Jaweon: page 173, character 20
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 48, character 6
• Unihan data for U+4E86

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Chinese

trad.		了/瞭*
simp.		了
瞭 – sense “clear”

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 了
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script
Small seal script s10990 Transcribed ancient scripts L16444 L16445 L16446 L16447 L16448 L16449 L16450
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (了) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
釕	*teːwʔ
了	*reːwʔ

Pictogram (象形) – an image of a baby wrapped in a blanket, with only the head visible. Compare with 子, where the arms are visible.

Etymology

• perfective aspect:

Pronunciation 1 is derived from weakening of Pronunciation 2 (“to finish”). Cognate with Thai แล้ว (lɛ́ɛo, “to be finished; already; then, afterwards”), Lao ແລ້ວ (lǣu, “to finish; to be completed; perfective particle”), Vietnamese rồi (“already”).

• a change of state:

Derived from 來／来 (lái, “to come”).

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): le (le⁵／le⁰)

  (Zhuyin): ˙ㄌㄜ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): liu⁵
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): lé
• Eastern Min (BUC): lāu
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): liáu

  (Teochew, Peng'im): liao²

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵leq

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: le
    • Zhuyin: ˙ㄌㄜ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: le̊
    • Wade–Giles: lê⁵
    • Yale: le
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: .le
    • Palladius: лэ (lɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lə/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: liu⁵
    • Yale: líuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: liu⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: liu⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /liːu̯¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: lé
    • Hakka Romanization System: le`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: le³
    • Sinological IPA: /le³¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: lāu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /l̃au³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: liáu
    • Tâi-lô: liáu
    • Phofsit Daibuun: liao
    • IPA (Xiamen): /liau⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /liau⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /liau⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /liau⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /liau⁴¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: liao²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: liáu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /liau⁵²/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵leq
    • MiniDict: 'leh^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²'leq
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ləʔ³⁴/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 了

1. Used after a verb to indicate perfective aspect (action completion).

   我吃了一個蘋果。 [MSC, trad.]
   我吃了一个苹果。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ chī le yī ge píngguǒ. [Pinyin]

   I ate an apple.

   • 他在北京住了兩年。 [MSC, trad.]
     他在北京住了两年。 [MSC, simp.]

     Tā zài Běijīng zhù le liǎng nián. [Pinyin]

     He lived in Beijing for two years.

2. Used at the end of a sentence to indicate a change of state.

   他是大學生了。／他是大学生了。  ―  Tā shì dàxuéshēng le.  ―  He has become a student / He is a student now.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 了 (“(perfective particle)”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		矣1
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		了
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	了
	Taiwan	了
	Harbin	了
	Malaysia	了
	Singapore	了
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	了
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	了
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	了
	Wanrong	嘮
	Xi'an	咧
	Xuzhou	了
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	了
	Ürümqi	咧
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	了
	Wuhan	了
	Guiyang	了
	Guilin	了
	Liuzhou	了
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	了
	Yangzhou	了
Cantonese	Guangzhou	咗, 嘵 obsolete
	Hong Kong	咗
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	咗
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	咗
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	耗
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	好
	Macau	咗, 敲
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	咗
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	咗
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	咗
	Foshan	咗
	Foshan (Sanshui)	咗
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	咗
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	哺
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	咗
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	誒, 咗
	Taishan	誒
	Kaiping (Chikan)	誒
	Enping (Niujiang)	誒
	Dongguan	敲
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	好
	Shenzhen (Dapeng)	後, 咗
	Qingyuan	咗
	Fogang	咗
	Yingde (Hanguang)	咗
	Shaoguan	咗
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	咗
	Renhua	咗
	Lechang	咗
	Zhaoqing (Gaoyao)	咗
	Xinxing	標
	Luoding	咗
	Yangjiang	都
	Nanning	嗮
	Nanning (Tanka)	嗮
	Wuzhou	啊
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	了
	Guiping	畢
	Guiping (Mule)	開, 了
	Pingnan	開
	Guigang (Gangcheng)	開
	Guigang (Pingdong)	開, 了
	Beihai	了
	Beihai (Nankang)	了
	Beihai (Yingpan)	了
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	了, 咗
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	咗
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	了, 咗
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	咗
	Singapore (Guangfu)	咗
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	咗
	Móng Cái	了, 咗
Gan	Nanchang	了
	Lichuan	了
Hakka	Meixian	了
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	拋, 阿
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	開
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	開
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	開
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	哩
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	哩
	Wuhua (Changbu)	哩
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	哩
	Yudu	了
	Hong Kong	開
	Senai (Huiyang)	開
	Kuching (Hepo)	了
Huizhou	Jixi	了
Jin	Taiyuan	咾
	Xinzhou	咾
Jiuxing Yumin	Lanxi	了
Northern Min	Jian'ou	了
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	了, 𡅏
Southern Min	Penang (Hokkien)	了
	Singapore (Hokkien)	了
	Manila (Hokkien)	了, 囉
	Chaozhou	了
	Shantou	了
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	了
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	了
Wu	Shanghai	仔, 了
	Shanghai (Chongming)	仔
	Suzhou	仔
	Hangzhou	得, 了
	Hangzhou (Yuhang)	得, 了
	Ningbo	仔
	Wenzhou	爻
	Jinhua	了

Usage notes

• (perfective aspect particle): Most of the time, 了 is translated by a past tense. But it can also indicate that one action is completed before another.

  你吃了以後叫我。 [MSC, trad.]
  你吃了以后叫我。 [MSC, simp.]

  Nǐ chī le yǐhòu jiào wǒ. [Pinyin]

  Call me when you are done eating.

• (change of state particle): When used as the change of state particle, 了 can be translated by “now”, “already” or “not anymore”.

  我會說中文了。／我会说中文了。  ―  Wǒ huì shuō zhōngwén le.  ―  I can speak Chinese now. (I couldn't before.)

  我吃飯了。／我吃饭了。  ―  Wǒ chīfàn le.  ―  I've eaten (already).

  沒有紙了。／没有纸了。  ―  Méiyǒu zhǐ le.  ―  There's no paper anymore.

• In a question, 了 is put before the particle 嗎／吗 (ma).

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 了

1. to be finished; to be completed
2. to end; to finish
3. to understand; to comprehend

   瞭解／了解  ―  liǎojiě  ―  to understand, to realize

4. clear; plain; understandable
5. bright; intelligent; smart
6. (in negative sentences) completely; utterly; entirely
7. Used with 不 (bù) or 得 (de) after verbs to express possibility.

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Japanese

Kanji

了

(Jōyō kanji)

1. finish, complete

Readings

• Go-on: りょう (ryō)
• Kan-on: りょう (ryō)
• Kun: おわる (owaru), ついに (tsuini), をは (woha)

Compounds

• 了解
• 了承

Proper noun

了(さとる) • (Satoru) 

1. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) a male given name

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Korean

Hanja

了 • (ryo>yo) (hangeul 료>요, revised ryo>yo, McCune–Reischauer ryo>yo, Yale lyo>yo)

1. (deprecated template usage) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

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Vietnamese

Han character

(deprecated template usage) 了 (liễu)

1. (deprecated template usage) (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.