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My TestDaF Experience

On Wednesday, 18.05.2022 I took the TestDaF at the Goethe-Institut Malaysia. In Malaysia there are only two places you can take TestDaF, eit...

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

How To Use The Different Types of "A" (Ah!) in Cantonese

I typed "a" into CantoInput and it gave me the following results. As I often get confused which "a" to use at the end of a sentence (especially 呀, 吖, and 啊), I compiled the following for my study notes.

呀 Yale a1, a3, a6
1. particle used to express surprise or mild emphasis
2. slurred form of the number ten (Cantonese)

吖 Yale a1
1. used in translation

啊 Yale a1, a2, a3
1. exclamatory particle

阿 Yale a3, o1 (pronounced as "a3" as in 阿祖 a3 jou2, pronounced as "o1" as in 阿弥陀佛 o1 mei4 to4 fat6)
1. prefix for people’s names
2. used in transliteration for /a/

亚 Yale a3, nga3
1. Asia
2. second

鸦 Yale a1 (also pronounced nga1 as in 乌鸦 wu1 nga1)
1. crow

哑 Yale a1, a2 (also pronounced nga2)
1. dumb, mute
2. become hoarse

丫 Yale a1 (also pronounced nga1 as in 丫叉 nga1 cha1)
1. forked
2. bifurcation

扼 Yale a1, ak1
1. grasp, clutch
2. choke, strangle

嗄 Yale a2, sa3
1. hoarse of voice

氩 Yale a3
1. argon

娅 Yale a3
1. mutual term of address used by sons-in-law
2. a brother-in-law

锕 Yale a1
1. actinium

錏 Yale a3
1. soft steel
2. ammonium

掗 Yale a3
1. take
2. hold
3. give forcefully

厂 Yale a1, hon3, chong2 (pronounced chong2 when referring to factory, plant, workshop, mill)
1. radical 27
2. factory, plant, workshop, mill

厊 Yale a2
(can't find the meaning yet)

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