lah

Alternative spelling of la.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

Initialism of lithium aluminium hydride.

Initialism of licentiate of the Apothecaries' Hall