咋喎 (zaa3 wo3)

Only That Much - Just So You Know

Level 4Sounds Like zaa3 wo3

Use 咋喎 (zaa3 wo3) at the end of a sentence to say 'It's only [X], mind you!' or 'Actually, it's just [X].' It highlights a small amount or a limit as a piece of important information for the listener.

How It Works

咋喎 (zaa3 wo3) is a staple of spoken Cantonese that adds pragmatic 'flavor' to a statement of fact. While a simple 咋 (zaa3) neutrally states 'only', adding 喎 (wo3) turns the sentence into a speech act—usually a warning, a correction, or a reminder.

Common uses include:

  • Newly Discovered Information: Signaling a sudden realization or a change in the situation (e.g., 'Oh, I just realized there's only one left!').
  • Warning/Reminding: Pointing out a limit the listener might have missed (e.g., 'We only have 5 minutes left!').
  • Correcting Assumptions: Gently contradicting what someone else thinks (e.g., 'Actually, he's only ten years old').
  • Expressing Surprise: Highlighting that a quantity is unexpectedly low.

It is very frequently used with the verb 得 (dak1) or 得返 (dak1 faan1), meaning 'only have' or 'only have left'.

Note on Tone: The tone of 喎 (wo3) is a mid-level tone. If you accidentally use the low-rising tone 喎 (wo5), the meaning changes to hearsay ('I heard it's only...').

Examples (4)

  1. 得返五分鐘咋喎！

    There are only five minutes left, mind you!

    Word by Word: have left five minute [only] [reminder]

    Here, the speaker is using 咋喎 (zaa3 wo3) to warn the listener that time is running out.

  2. 佢得十歲咋喎，你叫佢做呢啲嘢？

    He's only ten years old, you know; why are you asking him to do these things?

    Word by Word: he only ten year-old [only] [reminder], you ask him do these things?

    This uses 咋喎 (zaa3 wo3) as a corrective reminder to point out that the child is too young for the task.

  3. 呢度行六十咪㗎咋喎。

    The speed limit here is only 60, just so you know.

    Word by Word: here drive sixty mile [fact] [only] [reminder]

    The speaker is reminding the driver of a limit. Note the addition of 㗎 (gaa3) which adds a sense of 'stating a fact'.

  4. 我睇吓咋喎。

    I was just looking (don't get the wrong idea).

    Word by Word: I look [a bit] [only] [reminder]

    In this context, the particles function defensively to clarify that the speaker's actions were limited to just looking.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 咋喎 (zaa3 wo3) where 咋嘛 (zaa3 maa3) fits better.

    Different Meaning得十蚊咋喎，唔使驚。
    得十蚊咋嘛，唔使驚。

    得十蚊咋喎 is fine, but it points the limit out as a reminder or new information. 咋嘛 (zaa3 maa3) minimizes importance ('It's just $10, no big deal'), which suits 'don't be scared'.

  • Using the wrong tone for 'wo'.

    得返一個咋喎 (zaa3 wo5)
    得返一個咋喎 (zaa3 wo3)

    Using the low-rising tone 喎 (wo5) implies hearsay ('I heard there's only one left'). To give a reminder or warning based on your own knowledge or a sudden realization, you must use the mid-level tone 喎 (wo3).

How It Connects

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

咋喎 (zaa3 wo3)Level 4Only That Much - Just So You Know

Learn This First

The pattern 咋喎 (zaa3 wo3) is a compound sentence-final particle. To understand it, you must first understand its two components: 咋 (zaa3), which limits the quantity or scope ('only'), and 喎 (wo3), which acts as a reminder or a way to draw the listener's attention to a fact they might have overlooked.

Words in This Pattern

㖞