(Note: Wiktionary’s Taishanese romanisation will be used in this post.)
么 (trad. 麼, pronunciation mo4, [mɔ21]) adds a questioning, doubtful or sceptical tone to a statement. It is close, if not equivalent to, a rhetorical question in English.
我𢬿五盒寿司畀尼细民仔吃。
ngoi1 kai1 m2 hap4 siu5 lhu1* ei2 nai2 lham1 min2 doi2 hiak1
I’m bringing five boxes of sushi for the kids to eat.
㑢吃得该多么？
kiak4 hiak1 ak1 koi4 o1 mo4
They can eat that much?
Note
細民仔 (lhai1 min2 doi2) assimilated to lham1 min2 doi2.
As Stephen Li points out in his excellent article on sentence-final particles in Taishanese, it is also used for yes/no questions with what he describes as “affirmative presumption from the speaker”.
借一下唔得么？
die1 yit2 ha4 m3 dak1 mo4
Can’t I borrow it even just for a moment?
我昨晚到出便等你返来。
ngoi1 dam4 man4* au1 cuut2 ben5 ang2 nei1 fan1 loi3
I was outside waiting for you yesterday.
你冇鎖匙麼？
nei1 mou1 lho2 si1 mo4
You don’t have [the] key?
It also works with 咪 (mai5, contraction of 唔係 m3 hai5) to add emphasis. It’s similar to 咪囉 (mai5 lo2), but 咪麼 has a slight condescending undertone to it.
佢今日冇饮过酒？
kui1 gim1 ngit4 mou1 ngim2 go1 diu2
You haven’t drunk any alcohol today?
咪么。
mai5 mo4
Duh.