唦 (shā) - Particle used in dialects (especially Wu) to indicate & onomatopoeic for rustling or whispering sounds.

唦Tone 1

shā ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

三姗

唦 · shā

Particle used in dialects (especially Wu) to indicate a question or exclamation;

onomatopoeic for rustling or whispering sounds.

Particle used in dialects (especially Wu) to indicateonomatopoeic for rustling or whispering sounds.

Usage highlights

Is that so?What do you mean?rustling soundwhisperingrustle of leavessand sound

Synonyms

  • 吗— question particle (Mandarin equivalent)
  • 呀— exclamation particle
  • 沙— sand; rustling sound (similar pronunciation and meaning)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Is that so?(是唦?)
  • What do you mean?(啥意思唦?)
  • The leaves rustled in the wind (树叶唦唦响).
  • They were whispering (他们唦唦私语).

Collocations

  • Is that so?(是唦)
  • What do you mean?(啥唦)
  • rustling sound(唦唦)
  • whispering(唦语)
  • rustle of leaves(叶唦)
  • sand sound(沙唦)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Primarily used in Wu Chinese dialects (Shanghai, Suzhou, etc.) as a sentence-final particle.
  • Functions similarly to Mandarin '吗' (ma) but with regional flavor and softer tone.
  • Also used as onomatopoeia for soft, rustling sounds in literary contexts.

FAQ