How to Write 嘞 (lei) — Meaning “(Particle) Indicating completion or calling for attention”

Imagine saying "Lay!" to get someone's attention, like laying down a finished task. The left side is a mouth (口) speaking, and the right side looks like a leather strap (革) with a force (力) — picture using force to stop or reinforce your statement.

Write the left mouth radical (口) first, small and high. Then the right component 勒: start with the top part 革 (9 strokes) — horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, horizontal — then add 力 (2 strokes). A common mistake is making the 口 too big or misaligning the 革 portion.

嘞 (lei) is a spoken particle meaning "alright" or "got it," while 啻 (chì) means "only" as in 不啻 (bùchì, "not less than") and is pronounced completely differently. The rare character 㕡 (kě or hè) refers to a crevice or hole, has no oral particle usage, and visually lacks the 勒 component.

嘞 appears in casual spoken Chinese, especially in Northern dialects, attached to words like 好嘞 (hǎo lei, "Sure thing!") or 走嘞 (zǒu lei, "Let's go!") to show enthusiasm or agreement. It adds a friendly, upbeat tone and is not used in formal writing.

Common words containing 嘞 include: 好嘞 (hǎo lei) — Sure thing! / You got it!; 走嘞 (zǒu lei) — Alright, let's go!; 行嘞 (xíng lei) — Alright!.