*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of liao

Borrowed from Hokkien 了 (liáu) and Teochew 了 (liao²), with tone and spelling influenced by Mandarin 了 (liǎo) and its romanization in Hanyu Pinyin.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
particle

Indicates action completion, or more generally, perfective aspect. · Marks a change in state, more or less in the same manner as the inchoative aspect (see usage notes). · Used to emphasize that something has to be done now.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Hokkien 了 (liáu) and Teochew 了 (liao²), with tone and spelling influenced by Mandarin 了 (liǎo) and its romanization in Hanyu Pinyin.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention了nan-hbl
  • Non-cognate comparison了nan-tws
  • Derivation mention了cmn
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nan-hbl",
        "3": "了",
        "tr": "liáu"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Hokkien 了 (liáu)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "²"
    },
    {
      "name": "ncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nan-tws",
        "2": "了",
        "tr": "liao²"
      },
      "expansion": "Teochew 了 (liao²)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "了",
        "tr": "liǎo"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 了 (liǎo)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-pinyin",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hanyu Pinyin"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "了",
      "了#Hokkien"
    ],
    [
      "了",
      "了#Teochew"
    ],
    [
      "了",
      "了#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "particle",
      "glosses": [
        "Indicates action completion, or more generally, perfective aspect.",
        "Marks a change in state, more or less in the same manner as the inchoative aspect (see usage notes).",
        "Used to emphasize that something has to be done now."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Manglish",
        "Singlish"
      ],
      "recordId": "348a2f83b9978352dbbc95e022199059698d3aa938b6f9246b67c05a56ea0e80",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f4f761c8e19366fbdb2423510a4cd0081185cb1e1fdebed9743ea27903d5e03e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 862205
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Meats, vegetables, and other ingredients added to an otherwise plain dish.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 料 (liào, “ingredients”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention料cmn · ingredients
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "料",
        "tr": "liào",
        "t": "ingredients"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 料 (liào, “ingredients”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "料",
      "料#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Meats, vegetables, and other ingredients added to an otherwise plain dish."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Singapore",
        "colloquial",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "4390b244db7795164c4ea26bae474c2e05f1cfd0658d60abc375b82111f4f7fb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3efa7275a2742f2b120cb5251decc901b6d52327589747b36311fd0653d64f63",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 862206
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for liao →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bGlhbw