Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wah lau

/ˈwɑː ˌlaʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.05 in modern English

Syllables
wah lau
IPA
/ˈwɑː ˌlaʊ/
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

An exclamation of annoyance or exasperation.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Teochew and Hokkien. Ultimate origin uncertain: first element equivalent to Hokkien 我 (óa, “my”) + lau, possibly from 老爸 (lāu-pē, “father”). Alternatively, a shortening of Hokkien 我老的 (óa lāu--ê, literally “my elderly [someone, e.g., father]”), from which the alternative forms wah lau eh and walao eh are derived. Compare Mandarin 哇老誒 /哇老诶 (wà láo ei).

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

walao (alternative) walau (alternative) wah lau eh (alternative) walao eh (alternative) walau eh (alternative)

Questions

How do you pronounce wah lau?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɑː ˌlaʊ/.
What does wah lau mean?
An exclamation of annoyance or exasperation.
Where does wah lau come from?
From Teochew and Hokkien. Ultimate origin uncertain: first element equivalent to Hokkien 我 (óa, “my”) + lau, possibly from 老爸 (lāu-pē, “father”). Alternatively, a shortening of Hokkien 我老的 (óa lāu--ê, literally “my elderly [someone, e.g., father]”), from which the alternative forms wah lau eh and walao eh are derived. Compare Mandarin 哇老誒 /哇老诶 (wà láo ei).

How to pronounce wah lau

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wah lau”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwɑː ˌlaʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “wah lau”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “wah lau” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.