咋 (zaa3)

Only That Much

Level 2Sounds Like zaa3

咋 (zaa3) goes at the end of a sentence to express 'only' or 'just'. It limits the quantity or scope of something to 'nothing more than that'.

How It Works

Function and Meaning
The sentence-final particle 咋 (zaa3) is the baseline Cantonese marker for restriction. It translates to 'only', 'just', or 'merely'. Historically, linguists analyze it as a spoken fusion of 啫 (ze1) and 呀 (aa3).

Sentence Position and Exclusive Doubling
咋 (zaa3) usually appears at the end of a sentence or predicate clause, and other particles can follow it (see the clusters below). Cantonese speakers frequently use 'exclusive doubling' by pairing it with preverbal adverbs:

  • 淨係 ... 咋 (zing6 hai6 ... zaa3) = 'Only...'
  • 得 ... 咋 (dak1 ... zaa3) = 'Only have / only left...'

Particle Clusters
咋 (zaa3) combines easily with other final particles:

Nuance Distinctions
Do not confuse 咋 (zaa3) (mid-level tone 3, limiting amount) with 啫 (ze1) (downplaying importance) or 咋 (zaa4) (low tone 4, expressing surprised disbelief in questions).

Examples (4)

  1. 仲有三個咋。

    There are only three left.

    Word by Word: still have three [classifier] only

    咋 (zaa3) comes at the end to restrict the remaining count to just three.

  2. 我識講英文咋。

    I only know how to speak English.

    Word by Word: I know speak English only

    Limits the speaker's spoken language repertoire exclusively to English.

  3. 佢淨係食咗半碗飯㗎咋。

    He only ate half a bowl of rice.

    Word by Word: he only eat [past] half bowl rice [fact] [only]

    Demonstrates exclusive doubling (淨係 ... 咋) combined with the assertive cluster 㗎咋 (gaa3 zaa3).

  4. 我得兩塊餅乾咋。

    I only have two biscuits.

    Word by Word: I only-have two [classifier] biscuit only

    Pairs the preverbal verb/adverb 得 (dak1, 'only have') with sentence-final 咋 (zaa3).

Common Mistakes

  • Placing 咋 (zaa3) before the verb or noun like English 'only' or Mandarin '只'.

    我咋有三個。
    我得三個咋。

    咋 (zaa3) is strictly a sentence-final particle in Cantonese and must be placed at the end of the sentence or clause.

  • Using 啫 where 咋 just states the limit.

    Different Meaning我得兩蚊啫。
    我得兩蚊咋。

    我得兩蚊啫 is natural: 啫 (ze1) adds a shrugging feel, 'only two dollars, that is all'. 咋 (zaa3) just states the limit: 我得兩蚊咋.

How It Connects

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

咋 (zaa3)Level 2Only That Much

Learn This First

咋 (zaa3) is a sentence-final particle used to emphasize that a quantity or degree is 'only' a certain amount and nothing more. To use it correctly, learners should be familiar with how Cantonese particles modify sentence meaning and how to express quantities using the standard number-classifier-noun structure.

Words in This Pattern