ho1呵
Jyutpingho1
Yalehō
Definition
The sound of laughter; ho, ha, or heh.
colloquialemotioncommunication
How it's used
Used primarily to represent the sound of a short, sharp laugh, often indicating amusement or a lighthearted reaction. Unlike the Mandarin 呵呵 which can sometimes carry a sarcastic or dismissive tone in text messaging, the Cantonese 呵 is more direct and situational. It is often repeated or combined with other particles to convey different intensities of laughter.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage of 呵呵 in online chat, which is frequently used to express coldness, insincerity, or mockery. In Cantonese, the sound is usually transcribed more literally based on the actual laugh heard.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
