lah

noun

1. (alt-of, alternative)Alternative spelling of la.
2. (abbreviation, alt-of, initialism)Initialism of lithium aluminium hydride.
3. (abbreviation, alt-of, initialism)Initialism of licentiate of the Apothecaries' Hall

particle

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˧˨]”

   “Don’t do it lah, it’s not worth it.”

   “Hurry up, lah!”

   “Don’t know lah […] this is very hard to say.”

   “Even if you don't know, just pretend as if you know-lah Mike. You are embarrassing me you know.”

2. Placed at the end of a sentence to convey reassurance or express solidarity.

   “Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨], mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]”

   “You won’t drown one lah. The water is very shallow.”

   “Don’t worry lah. We’ll meet the deadline.”

3. Indicates an attempt at expressing sympathy, conveying informality or sincerity, or establishing a rapport with the listener.

   “Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨]”

   “Just try your best lah, and don’t think too much about it.”

   “I mean, I didn’t want to break the law, and I honestly went down to find out whether that place was OK to park or not. Let’s be fair lah, you can’t expect me to see one sign saying something and still go a long way to see if there is another one saying something else.”

   “I had Malay friends who were just turned away like that. It’s quite bad lah.”

   “You know that for tattooing, we are supposed to use disposable needles, right? Well, Joseph (Rough Face) will tell us not to throw them away after use. The next morning when I come into the studio, the needle box is always full again but the needles are without their original seal. You know why lah.”

4. Placed at the end of an assertive statement to express denial or dismissiveness.

   “Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨], mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]”

   “— I don’t think you should be cutting corners, at least put in some effort and make it look legit. — They won’t care one lah... I don’t have all day...”

   ““No lah,” she had said, almost casually to his proposal. He was flabbergasted.”

   “Don’t bother about him lah. Let’s pack up and get some sleep as we have a long day ahead.”

   “No lah, they must look at it this way... even though the founder (Colonel Harland Sanders) of KFC has died, his recipe lives on.”

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˧˨]”

   “These shoes are too small lah.”

   “No need to count lah. I’m sure the number is right.”

   “Eleven, eleven thirty, same same lah.”

   “Every once in a long while when someone asked why, he said: “No time-lah. So busy-leh.””

6. Asserts that something is clear, obvious or straightforward.

   “Pitch contour: falling [lɑ(ː)˦˨]”

   “Near-synonym: lor (sense 2)”

   “Get a whiteboard marker and write over it lah.”

   “They’re not wrong lah... But they’re only taking themselves into consideration.”

   “Mud you can clean up. Cobwebs you can sweep away. Stains, use bleach lah!”

7. Used to tone down an imperative sentence, so it sounds more like a request or suggestion.

   “Pitch contour: falling [lɑ(ː)˦˨]”

   “I remember my friends telling me, 'People already say you're an artist, then be one lah.'”

8. Indicates strong persuasion at the end of an imperative sentence.

   “Pitch contour: mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]”

   “Don’t waste your time there lah.”

   “[…] I say politely, No thank you, it’s okay. But he insists, Take lah, never mind, no need to pai-seh!”

9. Indicates a retrospective remark or a reassessment of one’s opinion.

   “Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨], mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]”

   “— Not many people would think of using a pressure cooker. — I mean, it’s pretty unconventional lah, I have to admit.”

   “Oh well, it was xiong, but overall OK, lah.”

   “He said that in the past, […] a teacher might admonish a noisy class and say: “4N(T), keep quiet!” Immediately, all the N(T) students felt that they were singled out. Today, the teacher would say: “NCC, keep quiet!” and the Normal stream students feel: “Okay lah.””

   “Different priorities lah these days.”

10. Reinforces a suggestion with the implication that it is the more practical option.

    “Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨], mid-falling [lɑː˧˨]”

    “The nearest train station is 15 minutes away. I think we take the bus lah, hor?”

    “Use the mittens lah.”

11. Indicates confirmation-seeking at the end of an inferential statement.

    “Pitch contour: falling [lɑː˦˨]”

    “In other words, you’re the one who started it lah!”

    ““Huh? SAP school? Oh, you mean Chinese schools lah.””

12. Used to express realisation, or vexation when something is already obvious.

    “Pitch contour: falling [lɑː˦˨]”

    “So in the end it wasn’t my fault lah!”

    “Do it yourself lah! Always need me to help is it?”

    “When Richard was going to join Anglo-Chinese School I expected the father to bring him to see the Headmaster, after all he was from ACS himself, but he couldn't be bothered. (Emily imitates Kheong's brusque brush-off) 'You look after it, you arrange it lah!'”

13. (uncommon)Reinforces the factuality of an assertive statement made to correct an inaccurate, underlying assumption.

    “Pitch contour: mid-rising [lɑ(ː)˧˦]”

    “Oh wait it’s not today, lah. It’s on Sunday.”

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˧]”

    “He teach them how to cook lah, learn computer lah... […]”

16. (Malaysia, uncommon)An assertive separator, used to reverse the order of the usual topic–comment structure of a sentence.

    “Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑ(ː)˨]”

    “No fun lah, you.”

    ““Who lah that Panjali? A real ‘number nine’ [From Tamil ஒன்பது (oṉpatu), a derogatory term for a transgender person].” “You don’t play a fool you know. He is not a ‘number nine’, not a hermaphrodite, but a man. He is the one who has been cross-dressing and performing the role of Panjali for many years.””

17. (uncommon)Used sarcastically.

    “Pitch contour: low-mid [lɑː˨], (in the example below) high-mid [lɑ(ː)˦]”

    “No lah, no lah.”

name

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