particle
liao
lyow
particle
1
(Chinese, and in Singlish/Manglish) A word placed at the end of a sentence to show that an action is finished or a situation has changed.
"Wah, so late liao, we better go home."
How to Use Liao
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA short word added to the end of a sentence meaning roughly "already" or "now," common in Singaporean and Malaysian English.
When to use it
Colloquial; used mainly in Singlish and Manglish rather than standard English.
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Wah, so late _____, we better go home.
Etymology
From Hokkien and Teochew pronunciations of the Chinese character meaning "finished," influenced by the Mandarin reading.