了 (le) - A grammatical particle indicating completed action or change & also means 'to finish, to understand' when pronounced

了Tone 5

le ｜ 2 strokes ｜ radical: 乙

俊梁

了 · le

A grammatical particle indicating completed action or change of state;

also means 'to finish, to understand' when pronounced liǎo.

A grammatical particle indicating completed action or changealso means 'to finish, to understand' when pronounced

Usage highlights

Completed action markerTo understandTo finishTo settleTo dieTo know clearly

Synonyms

  • 完— to finish, complete
  • 毕— to finish, conclude
  • 结束— to end, conclude

Antonyms

  • 未— not yet, incomplete
  • 始— to begin, start

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I have eaten (我吃了).
  • It's getting dark (天黑了).
  • I understand now (我明白了).
  • He has finished his work (他做完了工作).

Collocations

  • Completed action marker(了)
  • To understand(了解)
  • To finish(完了)
  • To settle(了结)
  • To die(死了)
  • To know clearly(了然)

Idioms

  • To see clearly at a glance(一目了然)
  • Unfinished business(未了之事)
  • To be done with it(一了百了)
  • To understand thoroughly(了如指掌)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • One of the most frequently used grammatical particles in modern Chinese.
  • Originally depicted a child without arms, representing completion or finality.
  • Essential for expressing perfective aspect in Mandarin grammar.

FAQ