How to Write 啦 (la/lā) — Meaning “A sentence-final particle indicating exclamation or completed action”

Imagine someone pulling (拉) you by the arm while shouting "La!" to get your attention—this links the sound 拉 and the exclamation meaning. The 口 on the left reminds you that it comes from the mouth. You can also think of "La la la" as a cheerful exclamation when something is finished.

Write the left radical 口 first (3 strokes: vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal), making it small and high. Then write the right part 拉, which starts with 扌 (hand radical, 3 strokes) and finishes with 立 (5 strokes: dot, horizontal, dot, left vertical, horizontal). A common mistake is making the 口 too large or misaligning the 扌's vertical hook with the 立 component.

啦 (la) is a sentence-final particle indicating exclamation or completion, while 呲 (cī) means to bare teeth or scold and is a verb. 咠 (qì) is a rare character meaning to whisper and has a different component (耳 ear) in its structure. Visually, 啦 has 拉 on the right, 呲 has 此, and 咠 has 耳, so they are easily distinguished by their right-side parts.

啦 is a colloquial particle used in casual speech to show exclamation, completion, or a playful tone, such as 走啦 (I'm leaving!) or 好了啦 (Alright already!). It is common in Northern and everyday Mandarin, often adding a sense of liveliness or mild impatience. As an HSK 6 character, it appears in more advanced spoken contexts rather than formal writing.

Common words containing 啦 include: 走啦 (zǒu la) — Leaving / Gone; 好了啦 (hǎo le la) — Alright already / Okay, that's enough.; 啦呱 (la gū) — To chat; to gossip (dialect)..