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lah

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lah¹

  • /lɑː/

Rhymes with -ɑː

Where it comes from

An anglicised spelling of la.

noun lahs

  1. alternative Alternative spelling of la

lah²

  • /lɑː/ Malaysia, Singapore
  • [lä(ː)] Malaysia, Singapore
  • [lɑh˨]
  • /lɑː/

Rhymes with -ɑː

Where it comes from

From Malay lah, Hokkien 啦 (--la) and Cantonese 啦 (laa¹). Doublet of la in colloquial Hong Kong English.

Lim (2007) lists multiple sources:

* Bazaar Malay, for its use as a particle of emphasis (akin to Malay lah), and the senses expressing commands, invitations and "solidarity, familiarity [and] informality".

* Hokkien 啦 (--la), which indicates finality, completion and confirmation-seeking, as well as "emphasis, persuasiveness, dismissiveness [and] listing".

* Cantonese 啦 (laa¹), expressing a "general lack of definiteness or forcefulness", and for its role in softening commands.

particle la · lar

  1. Placed at the end of a sentence to accentuate the mood or attitude of the speaker. Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨], mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]
  2. Placed at the end of a sentence to convey reassurance or express solidarity. Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨], mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]
  3. Indicates an attempt at expressing sympathy, conveying informality or sincerity, or establishing a rapport with the listener. Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨]
  4. Placed at the end of an assertive statement to express denial or dismissiveness. Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨], mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]
  5. Used after an assertive statement to reinforce its authoritativeness, or to show that the speaker is confident with what they are saying. Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨], mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]
  6. Asserts that something is clear, obvious or straightforward. Pitch contour: falling [lɑ(ː)˦˨]

    Similar: lor

  7. Used to tone down an imperative sentence, so it sounds more like a request or suggestion. Pitch contour: falling [lɑ(ː)˦˨]
  8. Indicates strong persuasion at the end of an imperative sentence. Pitch contour: mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]
  9. Indicates a retrospective remark or a reassessment of one’s opinion. Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨], mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]
  10. Reinforces a suggestion with the implication that it is the more practical option. Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨], mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]
  11. Indicates confirmation-seeking at the end of an inferential statement. Pitch contour: falling [lɑː˦˨]
  12. Used to express realisation, or vexation when something is already obvious. Pitch contour: falling [lɑː˦˨]
  13. uncommon Reinforces the factuality of an assertive statement made to correct an inaccurate, underlying assumption. Pitch contour: mid-rising [lɑ(ː)˧˦]
  14. uncommon Used to convey a slight sense of dissatisfaction or irritation. Pitch contour: mid-rising [lɑ(ː)˧˦]
  15. uncommon Used for enumeration (when listing examples). Pitch contour: mid [lɑː˧]
  16. Malaysia, uncommon, in Singapore An assertive separator, used to reverse the order of the usual topic–comment structure of a sentence. Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨]
  17. uncommon Used sarcastically. Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑː˨], (in the example below) high-mid [lɑ(ː)˦]

LAH³

noun

  1. abbreviation, initialism Initialism of lithium aluminium hydride
  2. abbreviation, initialism Initialism of licentiate of the Apothecaries' Hall

Lah⁴

proper noun

  1. A locality in the Shire of Yarriambiack, north western Victoria, Australia.

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MLA

"lah." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lah. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

lah. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lah

Chicago

"lah." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lah.

BibTeX
@misc{lah_2026,
  title = {lah},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lah},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}