喎 (wo5)

Hearsay

Level 3Sounds Like wo3

Use 喎 (wo5) at the end of a sentence to show that you are reporting what someone else said or what you heard, rather than speaking from your own direct knowledge.

How It Works

1. Function and Meaning
The primary role of 喎 (wo5) is to signal that the speaker is relaying a message. It acts as a verbal 'quotation mark' for the entire sentence. By using it, you distance yourself from the information, implying 'this is what I was told.'

2. Nuance of Responsibility
Because it marks hearsay, 喎 (wo5) often suggests that the speaker is not personally vouching for the truth of the statement. It is very common when passing on instructions, news, or gossip where you don't want to be held responsible if the information is wrong.

3. Origins
A common theory used to help learners is that 喎 (wo5) originated as a contraction of the verb 話 (waa6, 'to say') and the particle 呀 (aa3). While linguistically debated, this explains why it is so naturally used for reporting speech.

4. Tonal Distinctions
It is crucial to use Tone 5 (low rising). Cantonese has other particles spelled 'wo' with different tones:

  • 喎 (wo5): Hearsay ('I heard...').
  • 喎 (wo3): Mirative/Reminder ('Oh, I just realized...' or 'By the way...').
  • 喎 (wo4): Surprise/Disbelief ('What? Really?!').

5. Particle Clusters
It often combines with other particles. For example, the combination of 㗎 (gaa3) and 喎 (wo5) allows a speaker to combine a statement of fact with a hearsay marker, effectively saying 'it is a fact that (I heard)...'

Examples (4)

  1. 佢話唔嚟喎。

    He said he's not coming [I'm just relaying what he said].

    Word by Word: He say not come [hearsay].

    Here, 喎 (wo5) reinforces that the speaker is simply passing on the message from 'him'.

  2. 聽講聽日落雨喎。

    I heard it's going to rain tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Hear say tomorrow fall rain [hearsay].

    喎 (wo5) is frequently used with 聽講 (ting1 gong2, 'heard it said') to emphasize that the information is a report.

  3. 爸爸叫你返屋企喎。

    Dad told you to go home [I'm just telling you what he said].

    Word by Word: Dad call you return house home [hearsay].

    This is a very common way to relay a command or request from a third party to the listener.

  4. 佢哋去咗日本喎。

    I heard they went to Japan.

    Word by Word: They go [perfective] Japan [hearsay].

    Using 喎 (wo5) here indicates the speaker wasn't there to see them leave, but heard the news from someone else.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong tone (Tone 3 instead of Tone 5).

    佢唔嚟喎 (wo3)。
    佢唔嚟喎 (wo5)。

    Using Tone 3 (wo3) makes it sound like a reminder ('He's not coming, you know') or a new realization, rather than simply reporting what you heard.

  • Thinking 喎 (wo5) must be added to a reported sentence.

    Different Meaning佢話聽日去。
    佢話聽日去喎。

    佢話聽日去 is a normal, correct report. Adding 喎 (wo5) gives it the feel of passing on something you heard, often with a little surprise.

How It Connects

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

喎 (wo5)Level 3Hearsay

Learn This First

The hearsay particle 喎 (wo5) is a sentence-final particle used to report information from another source. To use it correctly, learners need to understand the general role of sentence particles in Cantonese and how tone changes their specific function, as well as basic sentence structure.

Words in This Pattern

㖞㖞