Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

liao

[ljaʊ˨˩]

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.77 in modern English

Syllables
liao
IPA
[ljaʊ˨˩]
4
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

particle

Indicates action completion, or more generally, perfective aspect.

particle

Marks a change in state, more or less in the same manner as the inchoative aspect (see usage notes).

particle

Marks a change in state, more or less in the same manner as the inchoative aspect (see usage notes).

noun

Meats, vegetables, and other ingredients added to an otherwise plain dish.

Colloquial; Uncountable

name

A river of Manchuria (northeastern China)

name

One of various medieval dynasties of Khitan rulers in Chinese history originally from its watershed

name

Liaoning, a Chinese province surrounding and named for the Liao watershed

name

A surname from Chinese.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Hokkien 了 (liáu) and Teochew 了 (liao²), with tone and spelling influenced by Mandarin 了 (liǎo) and its romanization in Hanyu Pinyin.

Word Breakdown

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Places.

Inflected Forms

leow (alternative) lo (alternative) loh (alternative)

Phrases

die liao mai tu liao si liao win liao lor A. F. (1992) volume 18 number 1 bo liao

Frequently Paired Words

die liao mai tu liao si liao win liao lor what lah1–14 lor2–3 lor1

Synonyms

already Khitan Rau liao dynasty

Rhymes With

how now allow wow bow thou cow dow mao vow brow howe

Questions

How do you pronounce liao?
The recorded pronunciation is [ljaʊ˨˩].
What does liao mean?
Indicates action completion, or more generally, perfective aspect.
Where does liao come from?
Borrowed from Hokkien 了 (liáu) and Teochew 了 (liao²), with tone and spelling influenced by Mandarin 了 (liǎo) and its romanization in Hanyu Pinyin.

How to pronounce liao

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