喎（引述）

Quoting Faithfully with 喎

Level 6Sounds Like wo3

Use 喎 (wo5) at the end of a sentence to indicate 'I heard that...' or 'Someone said...'. It acts as a buffer, showing you are just the messenger.

How It Works

In Cantonese, 喎 (wo5) is essential for navigating social accountability. When you relay a message, adding 喎 (wo5) signals that you are not personally vouching for the truth of the statement, but simply acting as a conduit.

Key characteristics include:

  • Tone Matters: In reported speech, it is almost always Tone 5 (low-rising). If you use Tone 3 (wo3), it changes the meaning to surprise or realization.
  • Placement: It is a sentence-final particle that appears at the very end of the clause.
  • Distancing: Without 喎 (wo5), a sentence like '佢唔嚟' (He's not coming) sounds like a fact you know for sure. With 喎 (wo5), '佢話唔嚟喎' (He says he's not coming), you are emphasizing that this is his claim, not necessarily your own observation.
  • Clustering: It often follows 㗎 (gaa3) to form 㗎喎 (gaa3 wo5), which reports a fact that was told to you.

Examples (4)

  1. 阿媽話叫你買米返屋企喎。

    Mom said for you to buy some rice on your way home.

    Word by Word: Mom say call you buy rice return house wo5

    Here, 喎 (wo5) indicates the speaker is relaying a specific request from 'Mom' to the listener.

  2. 聽講聽日會打風喎。

    I heard there's going to be a typhoon tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Hear say tomorrow will hit wind wo5

    The speaker uses 喎 (wo5) to mark the weather forecast as hearsay/information they received from elsewhere.

  3. 佢話佢冇攞你啲錢喎。

    He says he didn't take your money (so he says).

    Word by Word: He say he not-have take your (plural) money wo5

    By adding 喎 (wo5), the speaker remains neutral, implying 'this is what he claims' without taking a side.

  4. 天文台話下晝會落雨㗎喎。

    The Observatory said it will rain this afternoon (that's what they said).

    Word by Word: Observatory say afternoon will fall rain gaa3 wo5

    The cluster 㗎喎 (gaa3 wo5) is used here to report a factual statement issued by an authority.

Common Mistakes

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

    佢話唔嚟喎 (wo3)。
    佢話唔嚟喎 (wo5)。

    喎 (wo3) indicates surprise or 'I just noticed'. Using it here makes you sound surprised by the message rather than just delivering it neutrally.

  • Using 喎 (wo5) to report your own current thoughts.

    我話我好肚餓喎。
    我話我好肚餓呀。

    You cannot 'hearsay' yourself in the first person. Using 喎 (wo5) for your own immediate statement sounds like you have amnesia or are mocking yourself.

Words in This Pattern

㖞㖞