了
le
(completed action particle)
Type: ParticlesHSK 1
A pictograph of a baby wrapped in swaddling, like a bundle. Over time it became a grammatical particle.
It's a very tricky particle for learners. It can mark a change of state (我饿了 = I'm hungry now) or a completed action (我吃了 = I've eaten). Intonation helps tell them apart.
我吃饭了。
Wǒ chīfàn le.
I have already eaten.
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- 90 radicals explained
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