fu1乎
Definition
Classical particle used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question or exclamation.
How it's used
This particle is a literary borrowing from Classical Chinese that appears in specific, often slightly playful or rhetorical, spoken contexts. It functions similarly to 咩 or 㗎 in questions but carries a distinct, old-fashioned or scholarly flair. You will rarely hear it in casual, fast-paced street conversation, as it is mostly used when someone is intentionally mimicking a formal or archaic tone.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners should avoid using this in standard daily speech, as it sounds highly unnatural and overly dramatic to native speakers. It is not a functional equivalent to common sentence-final particles like 呀 or 呢, and using it incorrectly will make your Cantonese sound like a period drama script.
Grammar color guide
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).
