We will start with 㗎喇 (Dummy PY: Ga la) because we have used 㗎喇 (Dummy PY: Ga la) in our last episode. The 㗎喇 (Dummy PY: Ga la) sound is used to show that something is already done, expressing that you are completely confident, to confirm something. At times, the 㗎喇 (Dummy PY: Ga la) can also be used to show unsatisfactory attitudes as well as discontentment.
For example,
係咪真㗎? - really?
無錯,係㗎喇! - exactly, right.
When used in this context, it also is used to show confirmation. Another example, from last week’s conversation,
D: 嘩！祝你成功啦！
J: 多謝！我已經全力以赴㗎啦！
D: Wow! I wish you success!
J: Thank you! I am already trying my best!
The 㗎喇 (Dummy PY: Ga la) sound is used here to show that he was confident and that he is already trying his best, something is already being done. Or you might often hear,
得㗎喇! 我識。- it’s alright. I know how to.
Again to show that you are confident you got a good handle of the situation. But sometimes, the 㗎喇 (Dummy PY: Ga la) sound can also be used to show dissatisfaction or discontentment, even with the same example,
得㗎喇! 我識。- it’s alright. I know how to.
Depending on their tone, this sentence with 㗎喇 (Dummy PY: Ga la) sound can even mean they are irritated. Like “I got it! I know how to.” don’t keep reminding me subtle undertone kind of thing. Or another example will be from one of our conversations couple of weeks ago,
A: 嗱！我唔係你同你嗌交嘅，我係嚟了解一下情況啫，我已經解釋過個情況俾你聽㗎啦。 A: Hey! I am not here to argue with you, I am here to understand the situation. I already explained the situation to you.
Again, here the 㗎喇 (Dummy PY: Ga la) is used here to show dissatisfaction, or discontentment.
Good. Now let’s move onto talking about the 喳嘛 (Dummy PY: Ja Ma) sound. The 喳嘛 (Dummy PY: Ja Ma) is used to show that you look down upon something, or a questioning attitude. The usage of this 喳嘛 (Dummy PY: Ja Ma) sound is somewhat similar to the single character emotion sounds 啫 (Dummy PY: Je) and 咋 (Dummy PY: Ja) to mean “only” or “just”, do you remember those 2 single character emotion sounds? If not, that’s okay, those two were in the episode on Cantonese Emotion sound part 4, published in December 2020, you can go back to review those sounds.
喳嘛 (Dummy PY: Ja Ma) also just like 啫 (Dummy PY: Je) and 咋 (Dummy PY: Ja) you can use it to express “only” or “just” but it also contains the emotions of looking down upon something, for example,
錢喳嘛! 我OK!
It’s just money! I am OK!
Money Ja ma! I am ok!
Or you can even use it as a rhetorical question,
錢喳嘛? 我OK!
It’s just money? I am OK!
Money Ja ma? I am ok!
Just like if you were to say,
錢咋? 我OK!
It’s just money? I am OK!
Money Ja? I am ok!
錢啫! 我OK!
It’s just money! I am OK!
Money Je! I am ok!
Just like 啫 (Dummy PY: Je) and 咋 (Dummy PY: Ja), 喳嘛 (Dummy PY: Ja Ma) makes this sounds super cocky,, it’s almost like the notion of money and price is not even a issue for you.
Or another example would be,
咁喳嘛? OK la, 我識。
Only like this? Ok, I know how to.
So to say 咁喳嘛? Only like this, it’s almost like saying, “oh? It’s just this, it’s just a piece of cake I can do that no problem” like of emotion.
唔駛擔心, 我今日出咗街喳嘛! 無事!
Don’t worry, I only went outside today! No problem!
Don’t worry, I today only went outside Ja Ma! No problem!
It’s like saying, “well it’s no big deal. I ONLY went out, why the fuss?”.
Good. let’s talk about the 囉噃 (Dummy PY: Lo Bor) sound. The 囉噃 (Dummy PY: Lo Bor) sound is used to show confirmation or to seek confirmation. It is very often interchangeable with the 囉喎 (Dummy PY: Lo Wor) sound. The 囉喎 (Dummy PY: Lo Wor) sound is similar but slightly different from the 囉噃 (Dummy PY: Lo Bor) sound. The The 囉喎 (Dummy PY: Lo Wor) sound is often used to seek final confirmation and to show annoyance.
the 囉噃 (Dummy PY: Lo Bor) sound seeking confirmation,
For example,
咁係咁囉噃, 一陣7點見你囉噃!
So that’s set, see you in a little bit at 7 o’clock!
So that’s set lo bor, later at 7 o’clock I will see you Lo Bor!
Or it is the 囉喎 (Dummy PY: Lo Wor) sound seeking final confirmation,
For example,
咁係咁囉喎, 一陣7點見你囉喎!
So that’s set, see you in a little bit at 7 o’clock!
So that’s set lo wor, later at 7 o’clock I will see you Lo Wor!
So you see how they are very similar? Therefore they are often interchangeable, the difference is in the degree of confirmation.
Or another very similar example,
係囉噃, 如果係咁我哋朋友都無得做囉噃。
Yes, if that’s the case we can’t even be friends anymore.
Yes la bor, if that’s the case we can’t even be friends la bor.
Here with the 囉噃 (Dummy PY: Lo Bor) sound, it is confirming if that’s actually the case. If it is then they can no longer be friend but, if you were to say with the the 囉喎 (Dummy PY: Lo Wor) sound,
係囉喎? 如果係咁我哋朋友都無得做囉喎。
Yes? if that’s the case we can’t even be friends anymore.
Yes la wor? if that’s the case we can’t even be friends la wor.
You are now seeking final confirmation. As if if the other person said, yes, that’s the situation, then you will immediately unfriend them and just ready to have this person disappear in your life for good.
The final emotion sound I am going to chat about today is the 吓嘩(Dummy PY: Ha wah) sound. The 吓嘩(Dummy PY: Ha wah) sound is used to expressed that you are in awe, and not believing in what you have heard, sometimes even completely do not believe it, absolutely incredulous. The 吓嘩(Dummy PY: Ha wah) sound I personally believe is the shortened version of saying “啊係咪呀?” meaning “Ah is that right?” which you can also understand the 吓嘩(Dummy PY: Ha wah) sound as that, as if they are saying shockingly “is that right?”
The most common sentence you might hear with the 吓嘩(Dummy PY: Ha wah) sound should probably be,
唔係吓嘩?
No way?
No Ha Wah?
It’s almost like saying, “no way, get out of here” not believing in what you heard.
And the reason why I said you can understand the 吓嘩(Dummy PY: Ha wah) sound as the “啊係咪呀?” meaning “Ah is that right?”, is because using the same example,
唔係啊係咪呀?
No way, right?
The wording is a little longer but the meaning remains exactly the same. Another example,
A: 聽晚有得睇NBA。
B: 吓嘩? 等我買定花生準備先!
A: Tomorrow we will get to watch the NBA.
B: Really? Let me go buy some peanuts to get ready!
Again with “啊係咪呀?” “Ah is that right?” the meaning is exactly the same,
A: 聽晚有得睇NBA。
B: 啊係咪呀? 等我買定花生準備先!
A: Tomorrow we will get to watch the NBA.
B: Ah is that right? Let me go buy some peanuts to get ready!
Again to express shock, and not believing the situation entirely.
Final example,
佢真係咁講吓嘩? 好! 等我比啲顏色佢睇!
He really said that, is that right? OK! Let me show him some colours!
He really said that Ha wah? OK! Let me show him some colours!
I wonder if you get what I meant when I said show him some colours, because I don’t want you to misunderstand, so I am just going to elaborate. Here “showing him colours” 比啲顏色佢睇! means like something bad might happen, like the person might punch you in the face or something, similar to “make him see some stars”. In Cantonese, it is literally show someone some colours for saying that I am going to teach you a lesson, not necessarily in a good way. 顏色 is colours.
Again, it means exactly the same thing with 啊係咪呀? Ah is that right? The what I believe is the longer version of the 吓嘩(Dummy PY: Ha wah) sound,
佢真係咁講啊係咪呀? 好! 等我比啲顏色佢睇!
He really said that ah, right? OK! Let me show him some colours!
Very good. Hopefully you understood a little more on how to use these 5 2-character emotion sounds and slowly start adding them in in your conversion so others don’t get confused!
Next week, since Chinese New Year is coming up, I will start talking about Chinese New Year. Talk to you then.
