Meaning
(modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker); to know; to understand; to know; clear
Chinese: 助词，表示动作完成、变化或语气。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “le” becomes a different word in each tone. 了 is the 5. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Note: 了 itself is the neutral (light) tone — short and unstressed.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 为了wèi lefor; for the purpose of; in order to
- 了解liǎo jiěto understand; to realize; to find out
- 极了jí leextremely; exceedingly
- 除了chú leapart from; besides; in addition to
- 受不了shòu bù liǎounbearable; unable to endure; can't stand
Example Sentence
我吃完饭了。Wǒ chī wán fàn le.I have finished eating.
我WǒI吃完chī wánto finish eating饭fàncooked rice了le(completed action)。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A pictograph of a swaddled infant with the arms bound (so no arm-stroke, unlike 子). It is the common particle of completion ‘le’, and read liǎo means ‘to finish, to understand’.
A way to remember it
A baby with arms wrapped (no arm-stroke) — the ‘done’ particle 了.
Easy to confuse with
- 子‘Child’: 了 with the horizontal arm-stroke added.