Dictionary › 了

了

le

Old HSK 1 HSK 3.0 character level 1 Character

了 (le) means "(completed action marker)". It is an HSK 3.0 level 1 word, and was HSK 1 in the old six-level list.

What 了 means

1. (completed action marker)
2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now)
3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause)

How 了 is used in grammar

了 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• 了: Completion and Change of State (HSK 1)
• Duration complement: V+了+time (HSK 4)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 1, particles (动态助词); level 1, particles (语气助词).

Other readings

了 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• liǎoto finish; (used with {得|dé} or {不|bù} after a verb to express (im)possibility, as in {忘不了
• liǎo(of eyes) bright; clear-sighted; to understand clearly
• liàounofficial variant of {瞭|liào}

Example sentences

• 杀了他
  Shā le tā
  Kill him.
• 吃了没
  Chī le méi
  Have you eaten?
• 杀了她
  Shā le tā
  Kill her.
• 快来了
  Kuài lái le
  Come quick.
• 春天了
  Chūntiān le
  It's spring.
• 算了。
  Forget it.

Words starting with 了

• 了解liǎo jiěto understand; to realize; to find out
• 了不起liǎo bu qǐamazing; terrific; extraordinary
• 了事liǎo shìto dispose of a matter; to be done with it
• 了结liǎo jiéto settle; to finish; to conclude
• 了当liǎo dàngfrank; outspoken; ready; settled; in order; (old) to deal with; to handle
• 了不得liǎo bu deterrific; terrible; (after 得
• 了却liǎo quèto resolve; to settle
• 了如指掌liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎngto know sth like the back of one's hand (idiom); to know (a person, a place etc) inside…
• 了然liǎo ránto understand clearly; evident
• 了断liǎo duànto bring to a conclusion; to resolve (a dispute etc)…
• 了了liǎo liǎoto realize clearly; to settle a matter; to get it over with
• 了得liǎo deexceptional; outstanding; dreadful
• 了知liǎo zhī(Buddhism) to fully understand; to understand completely
• 了去了le qù le(colloquial) (after adjectives such as 多; extremely
• 了无liǎo wúto completely lack; to have not even the slightest
• 了无新意liǎo wú xīn yìunoriginal; stereotyped
• 了局liǎo júend; conclusion; solution
• 了债liǎo zhàito repay one's debt
• 了却此生liǎo què cǐ shēngto live out one's life; to die
• 了无生趣liǎo wú shēng qùto lose all interest in life (idiom)
• 了此残生liǎo cǐ cán shēngto live out the rest of one's life
• 了然于胸liǎo rán yú xiōng(idiom) to be well aware; to understand clearly
• 了若指掌liǎo ruò zhǐ zhǎngsee 了如指掌

Words containing 了

• 为了wèi lefor; for the purpose of; in order to
• 到了dào liǎoat last; finally; in the end
• 除了chú leapart from; besides; in addition to…
• 不了bù liǎo(as a resultative verb suffix) unable to (do sth); (pattern: verb + 个
• 受不了shòu bù liǎounbearable; unable to endure; can't stand
• 不得了bù dé liǎodesperately serious; disastrous; extremely
• 算了suàn lelet it be; let it pass; forget about it
• 大不了dà bu liǎoat worst; if worst comes to worst; (usu. in the negative) serious; alarming
• 一目了然yī mù liǎo ránobvious at a glance (idiom)
• 完了wán leto be finished; to be done for; ruined
• 得了dé leall right!; that's enough!
• 没了méi leto be dead; not to be, or cease to exist
• 罢了bà lea modal particle indicating (that's all, only, nothing much)
• 结了jié lethat's that; that's it; that will do
• 明了míng liǎoto understand clearly; to be clear about; plain
• 少不了shǎo bu liǎocannot do without; to be unavoidable; are bound to be many
• 没完没了méi wán méi liǎowithout end; incessantly; on and on
• 免不了miǎn bù liǎounavoidable; can't be avoided
• 说了算shuō le suànto have the final say; to be the one in charge
• 末了mò liǎo(colloquial) final part; last bit; (colloquial) in the end; finally
• 直截了当zhí jié liǎo dàngdirect and plainspoken (idiom); blunt; straightforward
• 说白了shuō bái leto speak frankly
• 未了wèi liǎounfinished; outstanding (business); unfulfilled
• 不了了之bù liǎo liǎo zhīto settle a matter by leaving it unsettled; to end up with nothing definite

Sounds the same

Read le, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 饹used in 饸饹

Where 了 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Function Words and Adverbs (HSK 1), HSK 1 Characters · Set 1 (HSK 1), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 1 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read le correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.