嗬/可 (ho2)

Right? Tag

Level 3

The particle 嗬/可 (ho2) is a sentence-final tag used to seek confirmation. It shows you already believe something is true and are just looking for the listener to validate your thought.

How It Works

The particle 嗬/可 (ho2) is a versatile tag used to seek confirmation. It functions similarly to the English tags 'right?', 'don't you think?', or 'isn't it?'. It is pronounced with Tone 2 (High Rising), which is crucial because 'ho' in other tones has entirely different meanings. As a sentence-final particle, the rising intonation of ho2 is often heavily exaggerated and elongated compared to a standard Tone 2 vocabulary word. Note that both 嗬 and 可 are standard characters recognized by major formal Cantonese dictionaries (like words.hk) for this particle.

1. Seeking Confirmation
When you use 嗬/可 (ho2), you are 'anchoring' your statement to the listener. You aren't just stating a fact; you are inviting them to agree with your proposition or suggestion. It can be used directly at the end of a sentence on its own. For example, it can be used for facts (e.g., 落緊雨，可？ lok6 gan2 jyu5, ho2? - 'It's raining, right?') or for joint actions (e.g., 我哋一齊去，可？ ngo5 dei6 jat1 cai4 heoi3, ho2? - 'Let's go together, right?').

2. Particle Clusters
In natural speech, 嗬/可 (ho2) also frequently clusters with other sentence-final particles to add specific nuances. These clusters are tightly bound and pronounced as a single prosodic unit. In fast speech, the 'h' sound is frequently weakened or dropped entirely, and a crucial phonological rule applies: the preceding vowel often assimilates to 'o'. For example, 㗎可 (gaa3 ho2) becomes go3 o2, 喇可 (laa3 ho2) becomes lo3 o2, and 呀可 (aa3 ho2) becomes o3 o2:

  • 㗎可 (gaa3 ho2): Used for facts or assertions. 係咁㗎可？ (hai6 gam2 gaa3 ho2?) - 'It's like this, right?'
  • 呀可 (aa3 ho2): A softer, more casual way to seek agreement on an observation. 你鍾意呀可？ (nei5 zung1 ji3 aa3 ho2?) - 'You like it, right?'
  • 喇可 (laa3 ho2): Used when a situation has changed. 準備好喇可？ (zeon2 bei6 hou2 laa3 ho2?) - 'We're ready now, right?'

3. Standalone Response
A highly common conversational function of 嗬/可 (ho2) is its use as a standalone response. You can use 可？ (ho2?) on its own to mean 'I know, right?!' or 'Exactly!' when expressing mutual agreement. It is also frequently expressed with the set phrase 係可 (hai6 ho2), which means 'Yes, isn't it?!' or 'I know, right?!' (used for enthusiastic mutual agreement when you already hold the same opinion). You can also use its negative counterpart 唔係呀可 (m4 hai6 aa3 ho2) as a genuine plea for confirmation, translating to 'Please tell me that's not true... right?'.

4. Ho2 vs. Haa2
While 嗬/可 (ho2) is primarily for seeking agreement, it is also heavily used to plead or soften a request (e.g., 幫吓我啦，可？ bong1 haa5 ngo5 laa1, ho2? - 'Help me out, please?'). In contrast, the particle 吓 (haa2) has different functions. 吓 (haa2) is often used to soften verbs or commands (e.g., 睇吓 tai2 haa5 - 'take a look'), give a gentle reminder, or express confusion ('Huh?').

5. Biased vs. Neutral Questions
It is important to note that 嗬/可 (ho2) carries a strong positive bias—you expect the listener to agree. If you genuinely do not know the answer and are asking a neutral yes/no question, you would normally use an A-not-A construction or a question particle such as 嗎 (maa3), not 嗬/可 (ho2).

Examples (5)

  1. 今日好熱呀，可？

    It's really hot today, isn't it?

    Word by Word: Today very hot [particle], right?

    Here, the speaker uses 呀可 (aa3 ho2) to seek agreement on a shared observation about the weather.

  2. 你聽日會嚟㗎，可？

    You're coming tomorrow, right?

    Word by Word: You tomorrow will come [particle], right?

    The cluster 㗎可 (gaa3 ho2) is used here to confirm a fact or an arrangement that the speaker believes to be true.

  3. 你鍾意食呢樣嘢㗎，可？

    You like eating this, right?

    Word by Word: You like eat this thing [particle], right?

    This example uses 㗎可 (gaa3 ho2) to confirm a belief the speaker has about the listener's preferences.

  4. 呢件衫好靚可？

    This shirt is really pretty, don't you think?

    Word by Word: This [classifier] shirt very pretty right?

    The speaker uses 可 (ho2) on its own to express an opinion and expects the listener to share that opinion.

  5. 我哋行得可？

    We can leave now, right?

    Word by Word: We go [potential] right?

    Using 可 (ho2) on its own directly after the verb phrase to check if the listener agrees that they can leave.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 嗬/可 (ho2) for genuine information-seeking questions.

    架車嚟咗未可？
    架車嚟咗未呀？

    If you truly don't know if the bus has arrived, use 未呀 (mei6 aa3). Using 嗬 (ho2) makes it sound like you are insisting the bus has arrived and are just waiting for them to say yes.

  • Confusing 嗬/可 (ho2) with the surprise particle 咩 (me1).

    佢係你男朋友可？
    佢係你男朋友咩？

    Use 咩 (me1) for surprise or doubt. Use 嗬 (ho2) when you already suspect it's true and want confirmation.

How It Connects

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嗬/可 (ho2)Level 3Right? Tag

Learn This First

The tag 'ho2' is a sentence-final particle used to seek agreement (like 'right?' or 'don't you think?'). To use it correctly, learners should already be familiar with the general concept of sentence-final particles and how Cantonese uses them to turn statements into questions or requests for confirmation.

Words in This Pattern

呵