The article below is the translated version of the original content in Japanese. Translated by ChatGPT.
https://gegegegensan.com/2019/02/11/language-tips-2/
What are tone particles?
Tone particles are useful little words that are used at the end of sentences in order to convey subtle nuances in communication, such as the speaker’s intended meaning or emotion. They can also be used to add a single word for confirmation, agreement, or questioning, and can completely change the nuance of a sentence. In (1), we introduced the following tone particles used in Taiwan:
- 啊 (a)
- 呀 (ya)
- 耶 (ye)
- 餒/內 (nei)
- 啦 (la)
In this article, we will share the following tone particles with example sentences and audio recordings provided by our friend who is a native speaker.
- 喔 (o)
- 唷 (yo)
- 勒/咧 (lei/lie)
- 囉 (luo)
We would also like to introduce “的 de” and “吧 ba” in our next article. (Please note that if you are using an iPhone, you may encounter issues with audio playback in Safari or Chrome, so please refer to our Youtube video for audio playback. Android devices and desktops should have no issues.) We have also included translations in Japanese Kansai dialect.
喔 (o)
- 非常好喔 (Fēicháng hǎo ō)
- (Meaning) Very good
- (Kansai dialect in Japanese) Ee kanji ya de
- 是喔 (Shì ō)
- (Meaning) Oh, really?
- (Kansai dialect in Japanese) Oo, honma ka
“Just ‘o’ can express an attitude like ‘I’m not that interested, but I’ll nod my head anyway.’ This expression is often seen in conversations.”
唷 (yo)
- 我非常想你唷 (Wǒ fēicháng xiǎng nǐ yō)
- (Meaning) I really miss you./I really like you.
- (Kansai dialect in Japanese) Omae no koto meccha suki yanen
“~yo” is used mainly by women to soften assertions, explanations, or proposals. When men use it, native speakers of Mandarin feel a little awkward. However, it apparently sounds a little cute when foreigners use it. Personally, I like the sound of “yo” and use it a lot with my close friends, as it has the same nuance as “dayo” and “shinasaiyo” in Japanese.
- 愛你唷 (Ài nǐ yō)
- (Meaning) I love you.
- (Kansai dialect in Japanese) Suki ya de~
In addition, expressions like “Hao yo” (Okay), “Yao chi bao yo” (Let’s eat until we’re full) can also be replaced with “yo” in Japanese.
勒/咧 (lei/lie)
- 那你勒 (Nà nǐ lēi)
- What about you?
In my personal impression, when it is used at the end of a sentence with a slightly strong tone, it gives a harsher nuance. But if it’s said gently like in this recording, it doesn’t have that at all. It’s like changing “你呢 nǐ ne (What about you?)” or “什麼呢 shénme ne (What about…?)” to create a more casual conversation.
- 然後咧 (Ránhòu liě)
- And then…
In my impression, “咧 liě” is a particle that can be replaced with “然後 ránhòu (and then)” to make the conversation more casual.
囉 (luo)
- 我準備好囉 (Wǒ zhǔnbèi hǎo luō)
- I’m ready now.
“囉 luō” is a word that makes the conversation cute or has a deliberately lower mental age.
- 吃飯囉 (Chīfàn luō)
- Let’s eat!
It’s like saying “めしやで〜 Meshi ya de~ (Let’s eat!)” in Kansai dialect, or “ご飯食べよう Gohan tabeyou (Let’s eat rice)” in standard Japanese. It has a childlike feel to it, like something you would say to a child.
Thank you for reading. That was an explanation of the words “o (お)”, “yo (よ)”, “lei/lie (れ)”, and “luo (ろ)”. Using these sentence-ending particles in conversation or chat, such as on LINE, can make the communication smoother and more gentle. It’s the same as in Japanese.
By the way, I am trying to learn Chinese mainly by the “sound”. While there are benefits to knowing kanji as a Japanese person, it’s often said that even if you know the characters, you may not be able to convey your message because Chinese has many sounds that are not used in Japanese.
Therefore, if you start learning Chinese by understanding what each sound means and represents, instead of relying on the characters you already know, you will realize that you can improve your skills faster than you thought. During the process of learning through sound, you will also naturally learn how to use sentence-ending particles like the ones I explained above, just as in Japanese with “ne”, “yo”, and “dayo”.
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(Translated by ChatGPT)