吖嘛 (aa1 maa3)

But You Know That

Level 2Sounds Like aa1 maa3

Use 吖嘛 (aa1 maa3) at the end of a sentence when pointing out a reason or fact that should be obvious to both you and the listener ('after all', 'as you know').

How It Works

The disyllabic compound particle 吖嘛 (aa1 maa3) is an essential feature of natural spoken Cantonese.

1. Core Function: Explanations and Justifications
When explaining your actions or defending a decision, adding 吖嘛 (aa1 maa3) grounds your statement in shared knowledge or obvious facts:

  • 聽日係星期日吖嘛。(ting1 jat6 hai6 sing1 kei4 jat6 aa1 maa3.) = Tomorrow is Sunday, after all!

2. Tone Nuances and Tag-Question Tone Shift
Depending on intonation and tone shift:

  • Gentle reminder (aa1 maa3): Gently reassures or reminds the listener of a shared reason.
  • Mild impatience (aa1 maa3): When stated firmly, expresses frustration at having to repeat obvious information ('I told you already!').
  • Tag questions (aa1 maa5): When pronounced with a tone shift to tone 5 (aa1 maa5), it functions as a tag question asking for confirmation ('..., right?').

3. High-Frequency Idiom: 唔係吖嘛
The set phrase 唔係吖嘛 (m4 hai6 aa1 maa3 / aa1 maa5) is a staple of everyday Cantonese meaning 'No way!' or 'Surely not!', expressing shock, disbelief, or exasperation.

4. Phonetic Fusion in Spoken Cantonese
In fast natural speech, 吖 (aa1) frequently blends phonetically with preceding particles:

Examples (4)

  1. 聽日係星期日吖嘛。

    Tomorrow is Sunday, after all!

    Word by Word: Tomorrow is Sunday [aa1 maa3]

    Reminds the listener of shared knowledge (that tomorrow is Sunday) to justify why they don't have to work.

  2. 我最近戒咗煙，吸煙危害健康吖嘛！

    I quit smoking recently—after all, smoking is bad for your health!

    Word by Word: I recently quit [aspect] smoke, inhale smoke harm health [aa1 maa3]

    Uses 吖嘛 (aa1 maa3) to state a well-known fact as a self-evident justification for quitting.

  3. 今日都係 A 餐吖嘛？

    You're having Set Meal A today as well, right?

    Word by Word: Today also is A set-meal [aa1 maa3]

    Used with a rising tag-question tone to confirm an expected choice based on daily routine.

  4. 我琴日講過畀你聽吖嘛！

    I told you yesterday, didn't I?!

    Word by Word: I yesterday tell [past] give you hear [aa1 maa3]

    Shows mild impatience when reminding the listener of something previously communicated.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 吖嘛 (aa1 maa3) as a neutral yes/no question marker like Mandarin 吗 (ma).

    Different Meaning你去唔去吖嘛？
    你去唔去呀？

    你去唔去吖嘛 is a real sentence, but it sounds impatient ('Are you going or what?!'). For a neutral question, use A-not-A or 呀 (aa3).

  • Using 吖嘛 (aa1 maa3) in formal or customer service settings.

    我剛才已經同你講過吖嘛。
    我剛才已經同你講過。

    Because 吖嘛 (aa1 maa3) highlights what someone should know, using it with customers or superiors can sound condescending or defensive.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

吖嘛 (aa1 maa3)Level 2But You Know That

Learn This First

吖嘛 (aa1 maa3) is a compound sentence-final particle. To understand it, you need to be familiar with how Cantonese uses particles to change the 'flavor' of a sentence, specifically combining the softening effect of 吖 (aa1) with the 'obviousness' marker 嘛 (maa3) to create a gentle reminder of shared facts.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

吖嘛