qua

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 我 (SV: ngã); borrowed from a Sinitic variety with denasalization.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">ngã</i>

vi-etym-sino

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-qua.wav

Hôm qua qua bảo qua qua mà qua không qua. Hôm nay qua không bảo qua qua mà qua lại qua.
Yesterday ah said ah'd cuhm over but ah ain't cuhm. Today ah ain't say ah'd cuhm over but ah came.

Qua đã nói với bậu, nhưng bậu chẳng nghe.

(archaic, men's speech or Southern Vietnam) I; me


ben

Ai thong thả, trâu nào ben được


ba

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 爸 (“father”, SV: bả).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">bả</i>

vi-etym-sino

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-ba.wav


ba

From Proto-Vietic *paː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *piʔ; cognate with Muong pa, Khmer បី (bəy), Halang pe, Pacoh pe, Mon ပိ (pi).

anh/chị ba

bác ba

second eldest brother/sister of one's parent

chú ba

secondborn younger brother of one's father

(Southern Vietnam, of a sibling) secondborn


人

(Southern Vietnam) chữ Hán form of nhơn (“human”).


hun

Typical Central and Southern Vietnamese retention of medial *u, which often developed into ‹ô› (or ‹o›) in Northern dialects; later strengthened with the use of "slang" to avoid awkward situations. Compare rún vs. rốn, thúi vs. thối.

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of hôn (“to kiss”)


ha

Đẹp ghê ha ?

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) yes?; no?; m'kay?; amirite?


con

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-con.wav

From Middle Vietnamese con, from Proto-Vietic *kɔːn, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kuun ~ *kuən. Cognate with Muong còn, Thavung กอน, Mon ကွေန် (kon), Khmer កូន (koun), Bahnar kon, Khasi khun, Central Nicobarese kōan. For semantic relations, compare Chinese 子 (“child; small thing; son”), Japanese 子 (shi, ko, “child; small thing; son; boy; girl”). See also non (“young, juvenile”), which is from an infixed form of the root.
Attested in the Annan Jishi (安南即事, 13th century) as 乾 (MC kan).

ncog

(chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) I/me (used when talking to someone significantly older than the speaker)

Là con thật!

(chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) you (used when talking to some significantly younger than the speaker)


ca

Đăng kí ca ở đâu hả em?

(colloquial in Southern Vietnam, somewhat literary in other dialects) to sing


ga

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(Southern Vietnam, especially Mekong Delta) Pronunciation spelling of ra (“bed sheet”).


thánh

Sino-Vietnamese word from 聖.
The informal adjectival sense "naive, credulous, gullible" and nominal sense "idiot, moron, simpleton" likely semantically develop from senses "saintly" and "saint" respectively, thus paralleling silly and crétin each in that order; see those entries for etymologies and semantic developments.

Mày thánh quá! Nghĩ sao đứa ngu như nó mà làm được bài này!?

How silly you are! How can you think that an idiot like him/her could finish this assignment!?

(Southern Vietnam, informal) naive, credulous, gullible, daft, silly


thánh

Kêu hai thánh đó ra dùm tui dới!

Call those two cretins out [here] for me!

(Southern Vietnam, informal) idiot, moron, dullard, fool, simpleton, cretin


bang

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to crash into; to collide with; to hit


la

bị vợ la

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to reprimand, to scold


nghe

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-nghe.wav

From Proto-Vietic *ŋɛː. Cognate with Toum ŋɛː¹. Compare Chong [Kasong] tŋeː.

Về nhớ làm bài nghe!

Don't forget to do your homework when you return (home).

(colloquial, chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) okay?


chi

Cognate with gì (the form affected by lenition) and Muong Bi chi.

Làm vậy chi?

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) what for


té

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-té.wav

(chiefly Southern Vietnam, intransitive) to trip

(chiefly Southern Vietnam, intransitive) to fall, to fall over


đồng

→ Cantonese: 盾 (teon⁵)

→ English: dong

→ Japanese: ドン (don)

→ Korean: 동 (dong)

→ Mandarin: 盾 (dùn)

→ Russian: донг (dong)

hai đồng

(colloquial, chiefly Southern Vietnam) a thousand dongs


hai

From Proto-Vietic *haːr, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɓaar (or some variant presented by Proto-Palaungic *ləʔaːr, Khasi ar, Central Nicobarese [Nancowry] âṅ; Shorto reconstructed Pre-Mon-Khmer *biʔaar). Cognate with Muong hal, Khmer ពីរ (pii), Bahnar 'bar, Pacoh bar, Khasi ar, Mon ၜါ (ba).
Insertion of initial *h in Vietic can also be seen in *huːɲ (“to kiss”) (> Vietnamese hôn), *heːt (“finished”) (> Vietnamese hết), *hanʔ (“he, she, it”) (> Vietnamese hắn), *hoːj (“foul-smelling”) (> Vietnamese hôi), *tŋ-ʔaːm (> Vietnamese hàm, Late Vietic), *hɔːŋʔ (“river, brook”), *haːŋʔ (“to open (mouth)”).

anh/chị hai

bác hai

(Southern Vietnam, of a sibling) eldest; firstborn


beo

con (classifier)
豹 (CJK)
𧲼 (CJK)
𧴋 (CJK)

From Late Proto-Vietic *pɛːw (“leopard”), from Middle Chinese 豹 (MC paewH, “leopard”), probably through a Tai language. Doublet of báo.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) a leopard, a jaguar or a cheetah


bu

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to assemble, to gather into one place


le

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of lè (“to loll (tongue); to put out”)


mai

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 媒 (SV: môi).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">môi</i>


viết

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-viết.wav

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 筆 (“to write, pen/pencil”, SV: bút).
Attested as Middle Vietnamese ꞗiét, viét in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">bút</i>

vi-etym-sino

viết chì

(Southern Vietnam) non-chalk handheld writing instrument


lai

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hemline; turn-up


lai

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 釐 (“a weight unit”, SV: li).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">li</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hundredth part of a tael (equal to 0.378 g)


coi

head

瑰, 䁛, 𥋳, 𫀢, 𩲡

vi-verb

瑰, 䁛, 𥋳, 𫀢, 𩲡

coi em

coi mắt

to meet with a date via a dating service

coi ti-vi

coi phim

coi báo

Coi nè!

Coi chừng!

Mày coi chừng tao!

(chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) to look, watch (over), observe, read, etc.


coi

vi-interjection

瑰, 䁛, 𥋳, 𫀢, 𩲡

(colloquial, chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) [Look at yourself!] What the heck are you doin'?


iu

(dialectal) Eye dialect spelling of yêu, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


tía

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 爹 (SV: đa). Compare Mandarin 爹 (diē).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">đa</i>

vi-etym-sino

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-tía.wav


cha

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-cha.wav

Thôi dẹp đi cha!


két

con (classifier)
鴶 (CJK)
𪁄 (CJK)
鴼 (CJK)

Attested as kéc in the Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1838) and Đại Nam Quấc âm tự vị (1895). It is not clear if this spelling was etymological or if it simply reflected the /k/-/t/ coda merger (both dictionaries were based on the Southern dialects).


bón

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) constipated


út

head

út • (崴, 𠃝, 𧰦, 𠃷)

vi-pronoun

út • (崴, 𠃝, 𧰦, 𠃷)

From Proto-Vietic *ʔuːc.
Compare Chong [Ban Thung Saphan] ʔuːˀc ("few, little").

(Southern Vietnam, familiar) you, my youngest sibling

(Southern Vietnam, familiar) you, my youngest uncle or aunt

(Southern Vietnam, familiar) he/him/she/her, my youngest uncle or aunt


tui

(colloquial, sometimes humorous, especially used among close friends along with ông or bà) Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of tôi


ngàn

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-ngàn.wav

giấc ngủ ngàn thu

an eternal slumber (literally, “a sleep of a thousand autumns”)

Ru con, mẹ ru con,
Tiếng ru cả cuộc đời.
Ru con lời ru,
Cất lên từ ngàn đời.

(Can we date this quote?), Văn Thành Nho (lyrics and music), “Đất nước lời ru [Our Land, a Lullaby]”:

Lull you, I lull you,
With the song of a lifetime.
Lull you, with a lullaby,
Resonating with eternity.

(cardinal number, limited usage that is usually literary in Northern Vietnam, regular usage in Central Vietnam or Southern Vietnam, usually in compounds) Alternative form of nghìn (“thousand”)

limited usage that is usually literary in Northern Vietnam; regular usage in Central Vietnam or Southern Vietnam; limited usage that is usually literary in Northern Vietnam; regular usage in Central Vietnam or Southern Vietnam


thun

sợi (classifier)
cọng (classifier)
村 (CJK)
紨 (CJK)
𦀹 (CJK)

(dialectal, chiefly Southern Vietnam) elastic


bù

(Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of bọ


dù

Tai Dam: ꪏꪴ


chén

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 盞 (“small cup”, SV: trản).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">trản</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) small bowl that can be held in one hand, chiefly used for eating rice


dí

Dí theo nó mau lên!

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to chase


lùn

(chiefly Central Vietnam or Southern Vietnam, of a person) short


lài

vi-noun

(classifier cây, hoa, bông) lài • (𣔦, 𦲒, 𦹹)

cây (classifier)
hoa (classifier)
bông (classifier)
𣔦 (CJK)
𦲒 (CJK)
𦹹 (CJK)

trà lài

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) jasmine


chí

From Proto-Vietic *ciːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ciiʔ. Cognate with Muong chỉ,
Bahnar si, Khasi ksi and Mon စဲ.

Có chí thì gãi.

If you have head lice, then scratch (your head).

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) head louse


lìn

(Southern Vietnam, minced oath) Eye dialect spelling of lồn.


nè

Southern Vietnam form of này (“hey!; hold up!”)


nè

Nó nè !

Coi nè !

Anh mày nè !

Qua đây ! Có cái này hay lắm nè !

Come quick! There's something real cool I wanna show you!

(Southern Vietnam) particle demanding attention to something; take a look!


lóng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) node, phalanx


sài

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to use; to spend


wá

bùn wá à

(Internet slang) Eye dialect spelling of quá, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


xí

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) tiny bit; a little bit


xí

(Southern Vietnam) Indicating mild discontent or disgust: ugh! huh! fie! hell!


xí

(Southern Vietnam, derogatory) to die; to croak; to kick the bucket


táo

(classifier cây, trái, quả) táo • (枣, 棗)

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
枣 (CJK)
棗 (CJK)

Sino-Vietnamese word from 棗 (“date tree”).

vi-etym-sino

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-táo.wav


rún

Chuồn chuồn cắn rún biết bơi. (Popular myth among children in Vietnam)

If you let a dragonfly bite your belly button, you would know how to swim.

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of rốn (“navel”)


ráng

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to try hard


má

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 媽 (“mother”, SV: ma).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">ma</i>

vi-etym-sino

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-má.wav


chao

From a form of Hokkien 醬／酱 (chiùⁿ) (SV: tương). Compare Thai เต้าเจี้ยว (dtâo-jîao), Lao ເຕົ້າຈ້ຽວ (taochiāu), Malay taoco, taucu. Doublet of tương.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) fermented bean curd


nón

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
𥶄 (CJK)

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-nón.wav

From Proto-Vietic *ɗɔːnʔ (“conical hat”). This is an Eastern Austroasiatic word, representing in Bahnaric, Vietic, Katuic and Khmer. Compare Muong Bi đỏn, Pacoh doan (“conical hat”) and Khmer ដួន (duən, “conical straw or leaf hat”).

cog

(South Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hat; cap; helmet


đậu phộng

[ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ fəwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ fəwŋ͡m˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗəw˨˩˨ fəwŋ͡m˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam) peanut, groundnut, earthnut


mè

cây (classifier)
hạt (classifier)
hột (classifier)
米 (CJK)
𥻡 (CJK)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 麻 (SV: ma), as in 胡麻 (hồ ma).

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sesame


hột

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of hạt

hột vịt

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, in certain expressions) egg

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) drop (of liquid)


đậu

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) to pass (an examination)


sắn

cây (classifier)
củ (classifier)
𦸰 (CJK)
𦼛 (CJK)
𦼜 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *s-ranʔ. Cognate with Arem ranʔ.
Possibly originally refer to the native kudzu, now called sắn dây. The tuberous roots of kudzu can look quite similar to its counterparts in the two New World plants below.


bông

head

芃, 葻, 𥟌, 𣒾, 𣜳

vi-noun

芃, 葻, 𥟌, 𣒾, 𣜳

From Proto-Vietic *poːŋ (“flower”). Cognate with Muong pông and Thavung โปง.
This word had been tentatively proposed as being connected etymologically with Hmong-Mien (Proto-Hmong-Mien *bi̯aŋ, whence Iu Mien biangh, White Hmong paj) or Austronesian (Proto-Austronesian *buŋa, whence Malay bunga etc.) (for examples, Hsiu, 2017; H. Hayes, 1999, Hoàng Thị Châu, 2009). Ratliff (2017) connected the Hmong-Mien and Austronesian terms, but did not mention any Austroasiatic comparanda. In any case, the connection is not certain and might just be look-alikes.

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-bông.wav

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) bloom; flower


trái

head

𢁑, 𣛤, 𢁑, 𣡙, 𣡚, 𧀞

vi-noun

𢁑, 𣛤, 𢁑, 𣡙, 𣡚, 𧀞

From Proto-Vietic *p-leːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *pləjʔ (“fruit”). Cognate with Muong tlải, Khmer ផ្លែ (phlae), Bahnar plei, Pacoh culay, Mang pløː¹.
This is originally the Southern form. The North Central form trấy is still extensively used in these dialects. The Northern forms giái (inland dialects), lái (as in lái tim, coastal dialects) are also attested, but now are mostly displaced by Sino-Vietnamese quả when used as a stand-alone noun and by Southern trái when used as part of compound (as in Trái Đất (“the Earth”)).

ăn trái (cây)

(chiefly Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) a piece of fruit


trái

head

𢁑, 𣛤, 𢁑, 𣡙, 𣡚, 𧀞

trái chôm chôm

trái lựu đạn

trái núi

trái banh

trái cây

(chiefly Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Refers to anything round, such as a piece of fruit.


ảnh

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root anh in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

(Southern Vietnam) he; him (man of equal or slightly greater social status)


nước tương

[nɨək̚˧˦ tɨəŋ˧˧]

[nɨək̚˦˧˥ tɨəŋ˧˧]

[nɨək̚˦˥ tɨəŋ˧˧]

nước (“water; juice; liquid”) + tương (“thick sauce”, 醬).


heo

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) a pig (mammal of genus Sus)


chỉ

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root chị in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-chỉ.wav


phi cơ

[fi˧˧ kəː˧˧]

[fɪj˧˧ kəː˧˧]

[fɪj˧˧ kəː˧˧]

(originally Southern Vietnam, now dated in Vietnam, still used by Overseas Vietnamese) airplane, aeroplane


cua

Borrowed from French courtiser or French cour.

(Southern Vietnam, slang) to take out a girl


sương sáo

[sɨəŋ˧˧ saːw˧˦]

[ʂɨəŋ˧˧ ʂaːw˨˩˦]

[sɨəŋ˧˧ saːw˨˩˦]

[ʂɨəŋ˧˧ ʂaːw˦˥]

[sɨəŋ˧˧ saːw˦˥]

From Teochew 仙草 (siêng1 cao2; tiên thảo).


vè

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) pole erected to mark water level in a river or ditch


vè

(Southern Vietnam) to draw near or nearer

(Southern Vietnam) to come alongside (another boat)


bột ngọt

[ʔɓot̚˧˨ʔ ŋɔt̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓok̚˨˩ʔ ŋɔk̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓok̚˨˩˨ ŋɔk̚˨˩˨]

monosodium glutamate
monosodium glutamate


dưa leo

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)

[zɨə˧˧ lɛw˧˧]

[jɨə˧˧ lɛw˧˧]

[jɨə˧˧ lɛw˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) cucumber


xắt

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 切 (SV: thiết).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">thiết</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to slice


bắp

vi-noun

(classifier cây (“maize, corn”)) bắp • (𥟼)

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-bắp.wav

(by extension, Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) maize, corn


nhỏ

sắp nhỏ

tụi nhỏ

con nhỏ đó

nhỏ Hoa


nhỏ

(Southern Vietnam, familiar) she/her, that girl


đá

From Proto-Vietic *taʔ. Cognate with Arem tʌːˀ.


cổ

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root cô in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-cổ.wav

(Southern Vietnam) she/her, that young adult woman


quê

From Proto-Vietic *k-veːr (“village”); cognate with Muong quêl (“village”) and Chut [Rục] kəveːl¹. Compare also Proto-Katuic *wiil ~ *weel (whence Pacoh veil).

Mẹ ở nhà đi. Con lớn rồi có mẹ đi cùng thì quê lắm.

Just stay home. I'm a grown-up and it's embarrassing to be chaperoned by you.

(Southern Vietnam, by extension) very embarrassing; mortifying


chiên

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 煎 (“to pan-fry”, SV: tiên), (possibly Teochew). Compare Khmer ជៀន (ciən), ចៀន (ciən).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">tiên</i>


cầu

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 橋 (“bridge”, SV: kiều). Doublet of kèo.
The “latrine; lavatory” sense was so named since latrines were, in pre-modern times, characteristically a wooden construction on the water. Compare Malay jamban (“latrine”) < jambatan (“bridge”).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">kiều</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Southern Vietnam) Short for nhà cầu (“latrine; lavatory”).


gỏi cuốn

[ɣɔj˧˩ kuən˧˦]

[ɣɔj˧˨ kuəŋ˦˧˥]

[ɣɔj˨˩˦ kuəŋ˦˥]

(Southern Vietnam) summer roll, a cold spring roll in Vietnamese cuisine


lúa

From Proto-Vietic *ʔa-lɔːʔ (“paddy rice”). Cognate with Arem alɑːˀ.
According to Ferlus, it is a loanword from Old Chinese 稻 (OC *[l]ˤuʔ) (B-S) (SV: đạo), in turn related to Proto-Mon-Khmer *sruʔ (“paddy rice”) and Proto-Mon-Khmer *t₂rawʔ ~ *t₂raaw() (“taro”). Ferlus reasons that the two different plants share the same ecological farming niche, thus facilitating semantic shift from "taro" to "rice". Shorto notes a dubious connection between Proto-Vietic *ʔa-lɔːʔ and Proto-Mon-Khmer *s-ruʔ (“paddy”).

cog

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) paddy; unhusked rice


nêm

(Southern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) to season (with salt, fish sauce); to flavor (with)


mãng cầu

[maːŋ˦ˀ˥ kəw˨˩]

[maːŋ˧˨ kəw˦˩]

[maːŋ˨˩˦ kəw˨˩]


chả lụa

[t͡ɕaː˧˩ luə˧˨ʔ]

[t͡ɕaː˧˨ luə˨˩ʔ]

[caː˨˩˦ luə˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam) Vietnamese pork sausage


banh

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) broken into smithereens; ruined; tattered


vén

(Southern Vietnam, in compounds) to gather in a tidy heap; to put in order; to arrange


trước

Attested in the Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1838), Đại Nam Quấc âm tự vị (1895) as a Vietnamese morpheme, and in Tam Tự Kinh diễn nghĩa (1917) as the Sino-Vietnamese reading of 竹 (MC trjuwk).
Compare phúc vs. phước, phụng vs. phượng.

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-trước.wav

梅 Mai. c. (Mơ) Hai thứ cây lớn, thứ có bông thơm, thứ có trái chua.
 ― trước. Cây mai, cây trước, nghĩa mượn là bậu bạn, vợ chồng.

1895, Huình Tịnh Của, Đại Nam Quấc âm tự vị:

梅 Mai. c. (Mơ) Two species of big trees, one has fragrant flowers, the other has sour fruits.
 ― trước. Ochnas and bamboos, signify friendship or conjugality.

(obsolete) Southern Vietnam form of trúc (“(kind of) bamboo”)


bữa

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Bữa nay đi đâu đây bay?


lộn

Often compared to Chinese 亂 (MC lwanH). Related to trộn (“to mix”).

(Southern Vietnam) to mix up; to confuse

(Southern Vietnam) to do by mistake; to be mistaken


tư

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 四 (“four”, SV: tứ).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">tứ</i>

vi-etym-sino

chú tư

"fourth" uncle (your grandparents' third child, who's male and who's younger than one of your parents)

anh tư

"fourth" big brother (your parents' third child who's your older brother)

chị tư

"fourth" big sister (your parents' third child who's your older sister, or a woman whose husband's his parents' third child)

(Southern Vietnam, of a sibling) third-born


ngựa

con (classifier)
thớt (classifier)
馭 (CJK)

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-ngựa.wav

From Proto-Vietic *m-ŋəːʔ. See also Chinese 午 (wǔ, “horse”).
The adjectival sense "sexually promiscuous, lecherous" (whence sense "appearance-obsessed, ostentatious") originates from the comparison of sexually promiscuous, lecherous people, especially women, to horses, as seen in - for instances: Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị, Dictionnaire Annamite-Français (1898), the Huế's idiom "rượn như ngựa Thượng Tứ ('to rut like imperial horses')", which is used to mock women and girls who are deemed "rotten, of loose morals".


ngựa

Đừng có ngựa! Coi chừng nó lừa đấy!

Don't be a trollop! Beware that he can make an ass out of you!

‘[…] Nói như má hễ thương yêu nhau là hư, thì thiên hạ là đồ bỏ hết chắc? Con biết má giận má nói vậy chớ thế nào má hổng xét lại...’
Bác Bảy cướp lời: ‘Thôi mầy đừng có ngựa nữa! Tao biết mầy khôn lắm mà! Thứ đồ đội quần người ta mà hổng biết mắc cỡ...’

‘ […] If [people] loving each other - as you've said, Mom - are indeed rotten, then is every one in the whole world trash? I know you've said so out of anger yet won't you think that over anyhow...’
Uncle Bảy barged in: ‘Stop being a trollop, you! I know you're smart! You shameless bum...’

(figurative, chiefly Southern Vietnam, derogatory, dated) sexually promiscuous, prurient, lewd, lecherous, slutty

Mày ngựa lắm con ạ. Tốn bao nhiêu là tiền mua quần áo với chả mĩ phẩm.

You're so appearance-obsessed. All this money you spend on clothing and cosmetics.

Kìa, trông thằng đó ngựa chưa kìa!

2013, Lê Trung Ngân, “Tiếng Lóng Thời Nay [Slangs Nowadays]”, in bacsiletrungngan.wordpress.com:

(by extension, figurative, chiefly Southern Vietnam, derogatory) appearance-obssessed, showy, flashy, gaudy, flamboyant, ostentatious


chả giò

[t͡ɕaː˧˩ zɔ˨˩]

[t͡ɕaː˧˨ jɔ˦˩]

[caː˨˩˦ jɔ˨˩]

(Southern Vietnam) spring roll (shredded vegetables wrapped in rice paper, then deep-fried)


thằn lằn

[tʰaŋ˦˩ laŋ˦˩]

[tʰaŋ˨˩ laŋ˨˩]

Trần Trọng Dương (2013) considers this word a cognate to trăn (“python”). See there for etymology.


ả

(Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, derogatory) villainess


cắn

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, of certain insects) to sting, to bite


ngã

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Coi chừng cây nó ngã!

Ê, cây móc đồ ngã mất tiêu rồi kìa.

Hey, your hanger stand has collapsed (and it's still on the ground).

(Southern Vietnam, of a generally inanimate being) to collapse onto the ground and remains there for a period of time


dậy

Eye dialect spelling of vậy, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


thối

Sino-Vietnamese word from 退. Compare thoái.

1954: Hồ Biểu Chánh, "Một cõi xưng hùng", Đỗ nương nương báo oán
Tôi nói thiệt cho ông biết, tôi tính thối về Ba Giồng mà tổ-chúc căn-cứ đây là có ý đào huyệt sẵn để chôn binh tướng Tây-Sơn.
I told him the truth, I thought of retreating to Ba Giồng but the base here intended to dig graves to bury the army and general of Tây Sơn.

lúc tiến lúc thối

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to retreat

1926: Exodus 21:2 (translated by Phan Khôi)
Nếu ngươi mua một người đầy tớ Hê-bơ-rơ, nó sẽ hầu việc cho sáu năm; nhưng qua năm thứ bảy nó sẽ được thả ra, không phải thối tiền.
If you purchase a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years, but in the seventh year he is to be released without needing to repay him.

1929: Hồ Biểu Chánh, "Nhà giàu hại nhà nghèo", Khóc thầm
Mà hồi nãy dượng Hai biểu tôi đem thối đủ ba chục đồng bạc lại.
But just now Uncle Hai told me to pay you back the full thirty piastres.

thối tiền cho khách

Không có tiền lẻ để thối lại.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to repay; to give back change (to a customer)


thương

Sino-Vietnamese word from 傷 (“wound; injury”).

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-thương.wav

Ba biết hai đứa bay thương nhau, nhưng con phải nghĩ cho hoàn cảnh gia đình mình.

I know you two are in love, but you have to consider our circumstance.

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial, euphemistic) to be in love with; to love romantically


khổ qua

[kʰow˨˩˦ waː˧˧]

khổ qua nhồi thịt

(Southern Vietnam) bitter melon; bitter gourd


bạn

Bạn cho mình hỏi Quận 1 đi đường nào.

Could you show me the way to District 1?

(especially Southern Vietnam) you, a peer of mine


bị

Sino-Vietnamese word from 被 (“to cover, to pack; "by" (passive voice)”).


dạ

head

dạ • (㖡, 也, 唯, 啫)

vi-particle

dạ • (㖡, 也, 唯, 啫)

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-dạ.wav

giạ (northern Vietnam, southern Vietnam)

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) yes (answers a question)


dạ

(Southern Vietnam) yes? (asks for more information with a request)

vâng

(Southern Vietnam) yes (confirms that the user is paying attention)


sói

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Synonym of hói


hư

(Southern Vietnam) corrupt, decayed, rotten, spoiled, damaged


dục

[zʊwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ]

[jʊwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ]

[jʊwk͡p̚˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of vụt (“to toss; to throw away”)


bóp

(Southern Vietnam) wallet (containing money, documents, etc.)


tắc

tắc muối ớt

trà tắc


tô

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) bowl


nghiền

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of nghiện (“to be addicted (to); to give oneself up (to)”)


bắp rang

[ʔɓap̚˧˦ zaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓap̚˦˧˥ ʐaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓap̚˦˥ ɹaːŋ˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) popcorn


mận

vi-noun

(classifier cây, trái, quả) mận • (槾, 𪴏)

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
槾 (CJK)
𪴏 (CJK)

From a Tai language. Compare Proto-Tai *manꟲ (“plum”) (whence Zhuang maenj as in makmaenj and Lao ໝັ້ນ (man) in ໝາກໝັ້ນ (māk man)).

Syzygium samarangense
Syzygium samarangense#Translingual

(Southern Vietnam) wax apple (Syzygium samarangense)


mắc

head

縸, 黓, 默, 𢹇, 𦄿, 𫄓, 󰄏, 󱓇, 󱕗

vi-verb

縸, 黓, 默, 𢹇, 𦄿, 𫄓, 󰄏, 󱓇, 󱕗

縸 (CJK)
黓 (CJK)
默 (CJK)
𢹇 (CJK)
𦄿 (CJK)
𫄓 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *ɓak, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *[d]ɓak ~ *[d]ɓaak. Cognate with Muong bắc, Chut [Sách] kəbak⁷, Mang ɓak⁷, Eastern Bru ʔa.bak, Bahnar tơʼbăk, Khmer ពាក់ (pĕək).

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to contract (debt); to owe

Đi chơi hả? Để mai mốt gì đi, mắc việc rồi.

Hanging out? Umm, maybe later, I'm kinda occupied with work right now.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to be busy; to be occupied; to be engaged

mắc ói

mắc cười

(chiefly Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to want to (go to the bathroom, laugh, etc.); to have the desire to

(Southern Vietnam) to cause (one to develop a feeling)


mắc

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) expensive; dear


hớt

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to trim; to prune; to cut

(Southern Vietnam) to cause (something) to be cut, broken or shortened


chích

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *cuk ~ *cuuk ~ *cuək ~ *cak ~ *ciik ~ *c(i)ək (“to prod; to pierce”); cognate with Khmer ចឹក (cək).

(Southern Vietnam, of an insect) to sting


biểu

Variant of bảo. Compare cáo vs. kiếu, đào vs. điều. Also compare 表 (biǎo, “to express”) as in 表態／表态 (biǎotài, “to declare one's stance”).

Ê cu lại đây biểu!

Come here for a sec boy, I have something to tell you.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of bảo (“to tell”)


bổ

See vỗ. This is a form that did not undergo lenition.

滇 Xan. n.
 […]
 Sóng ― sóng bổ, sóng đánh.

滇 Xan. n.
 […]
 Sóng ― the waves hitting the shore.

Làng Phước-hãi, lưới bạc muôn, Ở theo mé biển tuy buồn mà vui.
Buồn nghe sóng bỗ từ hồi, Vui vì đông đão tới lui chĩnh tề.

1909, Nguyễn Liên Phong, “Bà-Rịa”, in Nam Kỳ phong tục nhơn vật diễn ca:

At the village of Phước-hãi, [although] the nets are always silvery [due to the reflection from fishscales], living by the sea has its ups and downs.
The repetitive sound of the waves hitting the shore brings you down, [but] the constant throngs of people coming and leaving lifts you up.


lãnh

Kỹ sư lãnh lương cao hơn cán sư.

Engineers command higher salaries than technicians.

(originally Southern Vietnam) to receive, to get


cọp

con (classifier)
𤜯 (CJK)
𧲫 (CJK)
𧳇 (CJK)


chả

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root cha (“dude”) in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-chả.wav

(Southern Vietnam, informal) he/him, that dude


bọ

head

bọ • (蜅, 𧌂, 𧏳, 𧐾)

con (classifier)
蜅 (CJK)
𧌂 (CJK)
𧏳 (CJK)
𧐾 (CJK)

From a Sino-Tibetan language. Compare Proto-Loloish *bi/bo² (“insect”) (whence Yao'an Lolopo bber).


vớ

mang vớ

đi vớ

(by extension, Southern Vietnam) stocking


mướn

mướn • (𠼦, 摱)

vi-verb

mướn • (𠼦, 摱)

Related to mượn (“to borrow”), probably through an affixed form.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to hire, to rent


ngó

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to see, to look at


ngãi

Sino-Vietnamese word from 義 (“righteousness”).

vi-etym-sino

19th century, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Tale of Lục Vân Tiên, line 1212
󰒂它結󰒂情渚訴情
Ngãi đà kết ngãi, tình chưa tỏ tình
Our bond of rectitude is just freshly bound; our [mutual] affection is not even manifested yet.

(South Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, literary, obsolete) righteousness, faithfulness

nghĩa

originally Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam, now widespread


lịch

Con lươn, con lịch, con chình;
Ba con dưới nước cái mình trơn u.
The spiny eel, the snake-eel, the freshwater eel;
All three dwell underwater and are smooth-bodied

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of lệch (“eel of the genus Pisodonophis”)


lịch

Southern Vietnam form of lệch (“inclined; uneven; aberrant”)


về

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-về.wav

Trứng muỗi nở ra lăng quăng, nổi trên mặt nước thành từng về lớn trong điều kiện yên tĩnh.

Mosquito eggs hatch into larvae that form a thick layer floating near the surface when the water is calm.


lầu

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 樓 (SV: lâu).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">lâu</i>

vi-etym-sino

lầu 1

the 1st/2nd floor (1 level above the ground story)

nhà lầu

nhảy lầu tự tử

to jump off a high floor to kill oneself

(architecture, chiefly Southern Vietnam) a floor (except the ground floor)


đùng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) a kind of field (for salt production, etc.), or its body of water


đồ

head

圖, 龱, 徒, 途, 塗, 𣘊

đồ • (圖, 龱, 徒, 途, 塗, 𣘊)

vi-noun

圖, 龱, 徒, 途, 塗, 𣘊

đồ • (圖, 龱, 徒, 途, 塗, 𣘊)

圖 (CJK)
龱 (CJK)
徒 (CJK)
途 (CJK)
塗 (CJK)
𣘊 (CJK)

cái/đồ đánh trứng

a whisk (literally, “the whatsit that's used for whisking eggs”)

(Southern Vietnam) the thing that is used for...; the whatsit that is used for...; -er


kính

Sino-Vietnamese word from 鏡 (“mirror”). Doublet of gương.

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-kính.wav

(Southern Vietnam) Synonym of gương (“mirror”)


trà

Sino-Vietnamese word from 茶. Doublet of lá and chè.

chén uống trà

(Southern Vietnam, Northern Vietnam) tea


áp

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-áp.wav

Sino-Vietnamese word from 壓. Compare ép, ẹp.

áp chót

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to be next to; to be close to


tám

Perhaps related to Etymology 1. Compare bà tám (“very talkative woman”), Chinese 八 (bát, “eight; to gossip”).

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-tám.wav


dĩa

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 碟 (“plate; dish; saucer; disc”, SV: điệp). Doublet of đĩa.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">điệp</i>

vi-etym-sino

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) a plate, a dish, a saucer, etc.

(dated, chiefly Southern Vietnam) a disc, a disk, etc.


ủi

head

ủi • (熨, 墛, 埣)

vi-verb

ủi • (熨, 墛, 埣)

→ Eastern Mnong: uih

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 熨 (SV: uất, uý).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">uất, uý</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to iron; to press (clothing)


hột xoàn

[hok̚˨˩ʔ swaːŋ˦˩]

[hok̚˨˩˨ s⁽ʷ⁾aːŋ˨˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) diamond (gemstone)


thơ

(obsolete) Southern Vietnam form of thư (“letter”)


dã man

[zaː˦ˀ˥ maːn˧˧]

[jaː˧˨ maːŋ˧˧]

[jaː˨˩˦ maːŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 野蠻 (“savage”).

Cái thằng này sao mà ngu dã man!

Phim hay dã man!

(informal, Southern Vietnam) totally, extremely


bệnh

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sick; ill


xui

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 衰 (SV: suy), probably via a Southern Chinese dialect.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">suy</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) unlucky


xà bông

[saː˨˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[saː˦˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[saː˨˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

From French savon. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *saipǭ (“soap”).

Cho cháu xà bông ạ.
Omo hay Tide?
Dạ không, cho cháu xà bông ạ. À, xà bông tắm ấy ạ!
I'd like some soap.
You want Omo or Tide?
No, please get me some soap. Oh, I meant soap as in "bathing soap"!

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) laundry detergent; washing powder


đá gà

[ʔɗaː˧˦ ɣaː˨˩]

[ʔɗaː˨˩˦ ɣaː˦˩]

[ʔɗaː˦˥ ɣaː˨˩]


sanh

Sino-Vietnamese word from 生 (“birth”). See sinh.


ngoại

Sino-Vietnamese word from 外 (“outside”). Doublet of ngoài. Compare Chinese 外 (wài, “outside; maternal”), Korean 외(外) (oe, “outside; maternal”). A woman once married is considered belonging to a different family, hence the "inside" father's side and "outside" mother's side. See also xuất giá (“to get married”, literally “to "get out" and get married”).

Ngoại ơi! Con đến rồi nè!

Ngoại ơi! Con chích rồi nhé!

Grandpa/Grandma! I got my (Covid-19) vaccine!

(Southern Vietnam, used as a kinship "pronoun") maternal grandparent


thau

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 鍮 (SV: thâu).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">thâu</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) a portable, perfectly circular wash basin; compare bồn (“wall-affixed basin; counter-affixed sink”)


lọt

Compare Proto-Katuic *lɔɔt (“to pass, go by”) (whence Pacoh luat).

Ngồi ban công có ngày lọt bây giờ. Lọt từ đây xuống là có cứu cũng hông được đâu.

Quit sitting on the balcony, you might just fall you know. At this height, there is no helping you once that happens.

(Southern Vietnam) to fall, to tumble (from a high place)


bén

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-bén.wav

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sharp


xíu

From Cantonese 小 (siu2, “little”) and 少 (siu2, “few”).


cố

Sino-Vietnamese word from 故. Doublet of cụ and cớ.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) great-grandparent


đụ

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 鳥 (SV: điểu).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">điểu</i>

vi-etym-sino

Mày đi chơi đêm đụ con nọ, đụ con kia!

You've been going out at night fucking all the whores!

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, vulgar) to fuck


địt

head

địt • (𨕀, 𨗵, 𬇓)

vi-verb

địt • (𨕀, 𨗵, 𬇓)

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, informal) to fart


đẳng

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root đằng in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) that side; that place; that way


ngộ

kể cũng ngộ

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) sillily cute


quẹo

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to turn; to make a turn; to swerve


vô

Undiphthongized equivalent of Northern vào.
The usage of vào (especially in writing) by speakers of Central-Southern dialects can be contributed to borrowing from Northern dialects. On the other hand, the undiphthongized Southern form with palatal initial latter spread to the Northern and Central dialects as an interjection.

Vô nhà lấy con dao cho ba mày làm cá coi cu Thắng.
Thắng boy, go inside and fetch the knife so that your dad can start preparing some fish.

(chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) to enter; to go into

(chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) to toast

Lý hạng ca dao 里巷歌謠
塘無䖏乂觥觥
𡶀𩇛渃碧如幀𤳰圖
Đường vô xứ Nghệ quanh quanh,
Núi xanh nác/nước biếc như tranh hoạ/vẽ đồ.
The road to Nghệ An is winding,
With lush mountains and blue rivers, [the scenery is] like those captured in a landscape painting.

(chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) to go southwards in Vietnam


vô

Uống cho lắm vô! Giờ đau đầu!

You drank yourself to death and now you're wondering why you're having a headache!

Mại vô!

(chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) emphasizing sentence-ending particle


chánh thức

[t͡ɕajŋ̟˧˦ tʰɨk̚˧˦]

[t͡ɕɛɲ˦˧˥ tʰɨk̚˦˧˥]

[can˦˥ tʰɨk̚˦˥]

(possibly dated) Southern Vietnam form of chính thức


chánh

chánh nghĩa

(South Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of chính (“legitimate; just”)


nội

Sino-Vietnamese word from 內 (“inside”). A woman once married is considered belonging to a different family, hence the "inside" father's side and "outside" mother's side.

Nội ơi! Để con nhổ tóc bạc cho nội nha!

(Paternal) Grandpa/Grandma! Let me pull out your gray hair!

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) a paternal grandparent


dữ

Thằng này sao mà ngu dữ!

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, after adjective) really; very much


lì xì

[lɪj˦˩ sɪj˦˩]

[lɪj˨˩ sɪj˨˩]

From old or dialectal Cantonese 利市 (lai6 si6; lợi thị).

(chiefly Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to give money in (Usually) red envelopes to children or elders during the Lunar New Year; to give gratuity


muỗng

cái (classifier)
𢳠 (CJK)
𨮒 (CJK)
𨮵 (CJK)

From a Tai language. Compare Lao ບ່ວງ (būang).

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) spoon


tàu hủ

From Cantonese 豆腐 (dau6 fu6; đậu hủ, “tofu”). Doublet of đậu hủ, đậu phụ, and tào phớ.

(Southern Vietnam) douhua; tofu pudding; soybean pudding


tầng

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 層 (SV: tằng).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">tằng</i>

vi-etym-sino

tầng 1

the first floor (either (Northern Vietnam) the ground floor, or (Southern Vietnam) the floor immediately above it)

tầng trệt

tầng hầm

tầng lửng

a full-fledged mezzanine, as opposed to a gác lửng which is just a platform used in small flats


cúp

(colloquial, dialectal, Southern Vietnam) to cease to provide (electricity or water supply)

electrical engineering
electrical engineering

(colloquial, dialectal, Southern Vietnam, electrical engineering) to switch off (a breaker or fuse)


đầm

(Southern Vietnam) dress (women's garment)


đụ má

[ʔɗu˧˨ʔ maː˧˦]

[ʔɗʊw˨˩ʔ maː˨˩˦]

[ʔɗʊw˨˩˨ maː˦˥]

Đụ má mày!

(Southern Vietnam, vulgar) Used to express displeasure: fuck.

(Southern Vietnam, vulgar) Used to signify a pause or hesitation.


đậu hủ

[ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ hu˧˩]

[ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ hʊw˧˨]

[ʔɗəw˨˩˨ hʊw˨˩˦]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 豆腐, composed of 豆 (“bean”) and 腐 (“rotten”). Doublet of đậu phụ, tàu hủ, and tào phớ.


xế

head

xế • (熾, 𪰮, 制)

vi-noun

xế • (熾, 𪰮, 制)

Possibly a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 斜 (“inclined”, SV: tà).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">tà</i>

vi-etym-sino

bữa xế

a light meal or a snack during this time

(Southern Vietnam) early afternoon, about 2–3 pm


xế

Perhaps from tài xế (“driver”), influenced by xe (“vehicle”).

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, slang) wheeled vehicle


mốt

Related to một (“one”). Compare Khmu pŋmoːj ("day after tomorrow") and moːj ("one"), Sa'och [of Kanchanaburi] mṳːj ("day after tomorrow") and mṳːˀj ("one").

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) day after tomorrow


xe hơi

[sɛ˧˧ həːj˧˧]

[sɛ˧˧ həːj˧˧]

[sɛ˧˧ həːj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-xe hơi.wav

From xe (“wheeled vehicle”) + hơi (“steam; "gas" (smell, heat, etc.)”). Compare Chinese 汽車／汽车 (khí xa, literally “gas wheeled vehicle”).


cà rem

[kaː˨˩ ɹɛm˧˧]

[kaː˨˩ zɛm˧˧]

[kaː˦˩ ɹɛm˧˧]

[kaː˨˩ ɹɛm˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, somewhat dated) ice cream


a móc

[ʔaː˧˧ mawk͡p̚˧˦]

[ʔaː˧˧ mawk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[ʔaː˧˧ mawk͡p̚˦˥]

(computing, Southern Vietnam) at sign (@)


coi mắt

[kɔj˧˧ mak̚˦˧˥]

(Southern Vietnam) to meet with a date via a dating service


tông

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to crash into; to collide with; to hit


giá

cọng (classifier)
cây (classifier)
稼 (CJK)


xe đò

[sɛ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˨˩]

[sɛ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˦˩]

[sɛ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˨˩]

xe (“wheeled vehicle”) + đò (“transporting boat”).


hoành thánh

[hwajŋ̟˨˩ tʰajŋ̟˧˦]

[hwɛɲ˦˩ tʰɛɲ˦˧˥]

From Cantonese 雲吞／云吞 (wan4 tan1; vân thôn), from Mandarin 餛飩／馄饨 (húntun, húndun; hồn đồn).

der

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) wonton


thúi

có mùi thúi

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of thối


đương

Xuân đương tới, nghĩa là xuân đương qua,
Xuân còn non, nghĩa là xuân sẽ già,
A coming spring is a passing spring,
A spring in youth is a spring soon to age,

(dated or Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of đang (progressing action marker)


ổng

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root ông in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, "Dòng nhớ" (in Cánh đồng bất tận), Trẻ publishing house
Đó là lúc "ổng", tức ba tôi chống cây gậy khật khừng lang thang xuống bến.

That was when "he", my father, went wandering down the wharfs with his walking stick.

(Southern Vietnam) he; him (older or respected man)


bả

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root bà in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

(Southern Vietnam) she; her (woman of higher social status)


nút

From Proto-Vietic *t-n-uːt (“bung”), a nasal infixed form of *tuːt (whence đút).


trỏng

[t͡ɕawŋ͡m˧˩]

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root trong (“inside”) in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

Hang tối om à, đừng có vô trỏng!

That cave is very dark, you shouldn't go there!

(Southern Vietnam) in there; inside that place


bao tử

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ tɨ˧˩]

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ tɨ˧˨]

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 包子, composed of 包 (“to wrap”) and 子 (“noun suffix”).

vi-etym-sino

Ăn chậm nhai kĩ kẻo đau bao tử.

Take slow and thorough bites, or else you'll get a stomachache.

Nhưng nếu bạn vẫn chưa quen thêm gia vị cay vào thức ăn, thì cũng đừng nên thử nó, vì bao tử của bạn không chịu được chất cay nóng của những gia vị này, sẽ khiến tình trạng bệnh bao tử của bạn càng tồi tệ hơn.

2017, “9 loại thực phẩm người bệnh đau bao tử nên tránh”, in VOH Online:

But if you are not used to spicy food, then do not try it, because your stomach cannot tolerate the spices and it will make your stomach disease even worse.

(anatomy, Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) stomach


trễ

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) late; tardy


đó

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *tɔʔ (“that, there”). Cognate with Khmer ដ៏ (dɑɑ) and Bahnar to.

Tao mới coi tối qua. Hơi bị hay đó ! Bữa nào mày cũng dành thời gian coi đi !

I finally saw it yesterday. Really good, I must say. You should go see it when you have the chance.

Em mới đến nên không biết, thằng này khùng lắm đó !

You've just moved here so you might not have known, but he's pretty screwed up in the head.

(Southern Vietnam) emphasizes a quality that the listener may not have known; you see?; I'm telling you


ỉa

head

ỉa • (依, 𥺿, 𦟑)

vi-verb

ỉa • (依, 𥺿, 𦟑)

From Proto-Vietic *ʔɛh (“to defecate; faeces”). Compare Pacoh éh.
The Northern Middle Vietnamese yả is attested in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

inh

(Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, informal) to (take a) shit


lãnh thổ

[lajŋ̟˦ˀ˥ tʰo˧˩]

[lɛɲ˧˨ tʰow˧˨]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 領土 (“territory”).

vi-etym-sino

(originally Southern Vietnam, now common) territory


hột vịt lộn

[hot̚˧˨ʔ vit̚˧˨ʔ lon˧˨ʔ]

[hok̚˨˩ʔ vit̚˨˩ʔ loŋ˨˩ʔ]

[hok̚˨˩˨ vɨt̚˨˩˨ loŋ˨˩˨]

[hok̚˨˩˨ jɨt̚˨˩˨ loŋ˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam) an egg containing a developing duck embryo

hột vịt lộn xào me

(Southern Vietnam) a boiled egg of that kind; a balut


từng

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 層 (“storey; layer”, SV: tằng).

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of tầng (“floor, storey”)


hoài

Rồi nó nghẹn ngào, "Còn tui, người ta đã quăng ở đây mười tám năm, tui chờ hoài mà có ai tìm đâu…"

2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, “Ơi Cải về đâu”, in Cánh đồng bất tận, Trẻ Publishing House:

Then she said in a choked voice, "And me, they left me here eighteen years ago; I've been waiting forever but nobody has come looking for me…"

(chiefly Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) ceaselessly, constantly, all the time


bận

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to wear (clothes)


vòng tay

[vɔŋ˦˩ taj˧˧]

(Southern Vietnam) to fold one's arms (in front of the chest)


hớt tóc

[həːt̚˧˦ tawk͡p̚˧˦]

[həːk̚˦˧˥ tawk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[həːk̚˦˥ tawk͡p̚˦˥]

(Southern Vietnam) haircut (an act of cutting hair)


hớt tóc

[həːt̚˧˦ tawk͡p̚˧˦]

[həːk̚˦˧˥ tawk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[həːk̚˦˥ tawk͡p̚˦˥]


lẻ

head

lẻ • (礼, 禮, 𥛭)

vi-adj

lẻ • (礼, 禮, 𥛭)

một trăm lẻ ba

hai ngàn không trăm lẻ một

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) Signifies the “zero(s)” in numbers such as 805 and 2001.


ót

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, anatomy) nape


rày

Part of the r-series of demonstratives, along with rứa, ri, ru, sao.
Phonologically, like này (“this”), this is the form with more innovative vocalism, while ri (“like this”) and ni (“this”) maintain the monophthong. Meanwhile, its semantic development parallels that of nay (“now”).

từ rày về sau

Nhiều lúc nhớ tới anh Ba thủy thủ, tôi tự hỏi: "Không biết trên bước đường phiêu lãng, anh có trải qua những ngày buồn bã thế này không?" Rày đây mai đó…

1957, Đoàn Giỏi, chapter 16, in Đất rừng phương Nam, Kim Đồng:

Often, thinking back to Mr Ba the sailor, I wondered, "Would he also go through such sad days on his adventures?" Now here, tomorrow there…

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) now, today, this time

nơi nào. 2 Can be used on its own

where; no longer completely true in the modern language

where; this much; where *C is nonspecific consonant

đâu. 3 From earlier *C-raːw. 4 Placed before the head: bây nhiêu ()

bao nhiêu. 5 Placed after the head: nhanh vầy ()


dòm

Cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] jɔːm². See also dơ and nhơ.

Southern Vietnam form of nhòm (“to look through a narrow opening or passage”)

nhòm

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to look at


hiền

Sino-Vietnamese word from 賢 (“able; talented, virtuous; decent, good-natured, kind”).

vi-etym-sino

Em hiền quá à! Vậy thì sao có bồ được?

You're too ingenuous! How can you get a girlfriend?

(Southern Vietnam, by extension, euphemistic) ingenuous

“Tin Mới Nhất Về Di Truyền - Ngừa Khuyết Tật Ống Thần Kinh Thai Nhi Cho Những Ông Bà Có Nhiều Rủi Ro”, in Western States Regional Genetics Network (in Vietnamese), 2009; translated from “Preventing Neural Tube Defects For Couples at Increased Risk”, in Western States Regional Genetics Network, 2009
Tôi ăn đồ ăn hiền, có nhiều rau xanh và đồ ăn khác có nhiều folate. Vậy tôi có cần gì thêm không?
I eat a very healthy diet with lots of green vegetables and other foods rich in folate. Do I still need a supplement?

(Southern Vietnam, by extension, of foods) innocuous, harmless, nutritious, healthy


thẩy

(Southern Vietnam) to toss (to throw with an initial upward direction)


thẩy

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root thầy in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

(Southern Vietnam) Equivalent to thầy ấy (“he; him”).


chánh đảng

[t͡ɕajŋ̟˧˦ ʔɗaːŋ˧˩]

[t͡ɕɛɲ˦˧˥ ʔɗaːŋ˧˨]

[can˦˥ ʔɗaːŋ˨˩˦]

(dated, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of chính đảng (“political party”)


xe lửa

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
車焒 (CJK)

[sɛ˧˧ lɨə˧˩]

[sɛ˧˧ lɨə˧˨]

[sɛ˧˧ lɨə˨˩˦]

xe (“wheeled vehicle”) + lửa (“fire”), a calque of Chinese 火車／火车 (hoả xa).


máy rửa chén

[maj˧˦ zɨə˧˩ t͡ɕɛn˧˦]

[maj˨˩˦ ʐɨə˧˨ t͡ɕɛŋ˦˧˥]

[ma(ː)j˦˥ ɹɨə˨˩˦ cɛŋ˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) dishwasher (machine)


cẳng

From Proto-Vietic *kaŋh (“leg, foot”), from a Sino-Tibetan language. Compare Proto-Karen *khaŋᴮ (“foot; leg”) (whence S'gaw Karen ခီၣ် (khaẁ)), Tibetan རྐང (rkang) (as in རྐང་པ (rkang pa), Western Tamang कङ् (kaŋ, “leg”).
Usually theorized as being from Old Chinese 脛 (OC *m-kʰˤeŋ-s) (B-S) (SV: hĩnh), derived from the same Sino-Tibetan root, but the vowel correspondences is irregular.

(chiefly Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) leg


mập

(Southern Vietnam) fat, obese, stout, plump


gởi

gởi đơn xin ân xá

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of gửi (“to send; to send in”)


cưng

Cho chị xin 2000 đi cưng.

That's 2000 dongs [for your bus ticket], love.

(Southern Vietnam, informal or condescending, chiefly women's speech) you kid; kiddo; honey; dear; darling; sweetheart

informal or condescending; chiefly women's speech; informal or condescending; chiefly women's speech


dớ dẩn

Eye dialect spelling of vớ vẩn, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


đậu má

[ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ maː˧˦]

[ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ maː˨˩˦]

[ʔɗəw˨˩˨ maː˦˥]

(minced oath) Eye dialect spelling of đụ má, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.; fudge; darn


tới bến

[təːj˧˦ ʔɓen˧˦]

[təːj˨˩˦ ʔɓen˦˧˥]

[təːj˦˥ ʔɓəːn˦˥]

Bữa nay ta nhậu tới bến luôn!

We're gonna party the crap outta it tonight!

to one's heart's content
to one's heart's content#English

(figurative, Southern Vietnam) to one's heart's content


bạc hà

[ʔɓaːk̚˧˨ʔ haː˨˩]

[ʔɓaːk̚˨˩ʔ haː˦˩]

[ʔɓaːk̚˨˩˨ haː˨˩]


kẹc

(Southern Vietnam, minced oath) Eye dialect spelling of cặc.


thiệt

Sino-Vietnamese word from 實. Doublet of thực and thật.
thất thiệt is the only instance where this particular form has been adopted by all dialects.

Bữa nay gió ghê thiệt.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) real; true; factual


dzô

(Southern Vietnam, phonetic spelling) Alternative spelling of vô


dô

(Southern Vietnam) Pronunciation spelling of vô.


công bình

[kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓïŋ˨˩]

[kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓɨn˦˩]

[kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓɨn˨˩]

công bình chính/chánh nghĩa

(dated) Southern Vietnam form of công bằng (“just; fair”)


trơn

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-trơn.wav

hết trơn

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) completely gone; all finished


trển

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root trên (“on”) in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

Ở trên trển.


rắn mối

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ moj˨˩˦]

[ɹaŋ˦˥ moj˦˥]

rắn (“snake”) + mối (“common house gecko”). See also cá mối (“lizardfish”).
The second element is commonly thought be mối (“termite”), which is rationalized as being skinks' preys.

com

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) skink


đỡ

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 助 (“to help”, SV: trợ).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">trợ</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Southern Vietnam) temporarily (in the absence of a better method); as a makeshift


hả

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to open (one's mouth)


xạo

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 巧 (“skillful”, SV: xảo).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">xảo</i>


mắc cười

[mak̚˧˦ kɨəj˨˩]

[mak̚˦˧˥ kɨj˦˩]

2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, "Cánh đồng bất tận" chapter 2 (in Cánh đồng bất tận), Trẻ publishing house
Suốt buổi, không dính con cá nào, chị nói, "Mắc cười quá, tới mấy con cá quỷ này còn chê chị".

The entire time, she could not catch a single fish; she said, "So funny, even those fiendish fish refuse me."


bao tay

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ taj˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ taj˧˧]

bao (“bag, sack; to wrap around”) + tay (“hand”).


hên

Borrowed from Cantonese 幸 (hang6, “lucky”, SV hạnh).

bor

SV <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">hạnh</i>


con nít

[kɔŋ˧˧ nit̚˦˧˥]

[kɔŋ˧˧ nɨt̚˦˥]

con (“child”) + nít (“small (of a child)”); the second element is from Proto-Vietic *ɗiːt (“small”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kɗit ~ *kɗiit ~ *kɗiət. Cognate with Riang [Lang] kᵊndiət² ("small"), Khasi khyndiat (“few, little”), Mon ဍောတ်.

com

Con nít ở đây đều nếm mùi thịt rắn từ hồi còn trong bụng mẹ.

1957, Đoàn Giỏi, chapter 3, in Đất rừng phương Nam, Kim Đồng:

The kids around here get a taste for snake meat from when still inside their mothers' bellies.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, derogatory elsewhere) small child, kid


xài

Possibly related to Khmer ចាយ (caay), Ruching Palaung chāī, Cantonese 使 (sai2, “to use; to spend (money)”), 嘥 (saai1).

cog

(Southern Vietnam, informal, colloquial) to use

(Southern Vietnam, informal, colloquial) to spend (money)


nhóc

[ɲawk͡p̚˦˧˥]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) full of; filled with


lẹ

Possibly an archaic non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 易 (SV: dị).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">dị</i>

vi-etym-sino

Lẹ lên!


mủ

From Proto-Vietic *ɓuh, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɓuh ~ *ɓuuh (“to bubble; boil”). Cognate with Thavung บุฮ, Khmer ពុះ (puh, “to boil”), Semai boh (“froth, foam”) and Talieng ʔboh ("foam, bubbles"). Other cognates through affixed form are Khmer ពពុះ (pɔɔpɔpuh, “foam”), Semai buboh (“foam”) and Mon ဗၜိုဟ် (həbɒh, “foam”).

inh

ghế mủ

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sap; latex


nhột

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) feeling ticklish (when stroked)


nha

Bye nha!

Đi đường nhớ cẩn thận nha.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) alright?; okay?; will you?


nở

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to give birth (to a child)


hông

1992, Nguyễn Văn Hiên (lyrics and music), Không Dám Đâu (I Wouldn't Dare!), performance by Hiền Thục
Hông dám đâu! Em còn phải học bài.
Hông dám đâu! Em còn phải làm bài.
‘Sao khó ghê? Mai mình hãy ôn bài!’
‘Hông dám đâu! Hổng dám đâu!’
I wouldn't dare! I still have to study.
I wouldn't dare! I still have homework.
‘Why so fastidious? We can revise tomorrow!’


mùng

Compare Thai มุ้ง (múng) and Khmer មុង (mung).

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) mosquito net


mùng

ngày mùng một Tết

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of mồng


nãy

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 乃 (SV: nãi).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">nãi</i>

vi-etym-sino

(often Southern Vietnam) then, at that time


không có chi

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˧˦ t͡ɕi˧˧]

[kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˨˩˦ t͡ɕɪj˧˧]

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˨˩˦ t͡ɕɪj˧˧]

[kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˦˥ cɪj˧˧]

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˦˥ cɪj˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) you are welcome; no problem


trùn

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-trùn.wav

From Proto-Vietic *p-luːn ~ *p-ruːn, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *(b)ruun. See the Northern form giun, now also the common written form.
Due to the shift /n/ > /ŋ/ from Huế southwards, this word is usually pronounced identically to trùng, which is the Sino-Vietnamese reading of 蟲／虫 (“insect, bug”), creating a pair of false cognates.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) a worm (more specifically an earthworm)


rớt

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to fail (in one's examination)


máy lạnh

[maj˨˩˦ lɛɲ˨˩ʔ]

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) an air conditioner


thăm

head

𠶀, 探, 深, 𠽄, 𠽉, 𡂹, 㖭

vi-verb

𠶀, 探, 深, 𠽄, 𠽉, 𡂹, 㖭

𠶀 (CJK)
探 (CJK)
深 (CJK)
𠽄 (CJK)
𠽉 (CJK)
𡂹 (CJK)
㖭 (CJK)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 探 (SV: tham, thám).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">tham, thám</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Southern Vietnam) to (clinically) examine


thăm

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 籤 (SV: thiêm). Compare xăm, tăm.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">thiêm</i>


mền

cái (classifier)
tấm (classifier)
𢅧 (CJK)
𬡴 (CJK)
𧚭 (CJK)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 棉 (SV: miên) (Old Chinese /*men/ (Zhengzhang)). Compare Sui myeenz (“quilt”).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">miên</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) blanket


đục

[ʔɗʊwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗʊwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗʊwk͡p̚˨˩˨]

đục phù mỏ

to give a beating until the opponent's lips are busted

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to punch; to throw a punch


hên xui

(Southern Vietnam) lucky and unlucky; haphazard; random; dependent on chance


lọ

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) soot


rờ

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to touch


khảy

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to pluck (a stringed musical instrument)


lội

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *lujʔ ~ *luuj() ~ *luəj() ~ *ləəj() (“to wade; to swim”). Cognate with Khmer លុយ (luy), Mon လုဲ, Riang luj². Compare also Proto-Tai *loːjᴬ (“to swim”) (whence Thai ลอย (lɔɔi)).

inh

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to swim


chụm

Compare Pacoh adyúm (“to push sticks into fire”).

cog

Bỏ thêm củi vô chụm cho nước mau sôi coi.

Let's put more wood into the fire so that the water boils more quickly.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to put into the fire


hổng

Derived from hông, which is a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 空 (“empty, hollow”, SV: không). Doublet of không.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">không</i>

vi-etym-sino

Hổng chịu đâu!

Hổng phải đâu!

Hổng có đâu!

There's no such thing! / I haven't done that! (precise meaning is context-dependent)

Hổng (có) được đâu!

That's no good! / That's not viable! / That's not allowed! (precise meaning is context-dependent)

Hổng (có) (làm) được đâu!


giùm

Ferlus, 2009: From Proto-Vietic *p-tʃuːm, a prefixed form of Proto-Vietic *tʃuːm (“to gather”), via the changes of /p-tʃuːm/ > /p-ʝuːm/ > /ʝuːm/. The forms of gium (“to help”), giúm (“to help each other”) and giụm (“to put together”) are attested in older dictionaries. Related to xum (“to meet; to get together”, now obsolete), xúm (“to gather; to collect”), chùm (“bunch; cluster”) and chụm (“to assemble; to gather”). Outside Vietic, related to Khmer ប្រជុំ (prɑɑcum, “to gather; to meet together”) → Thai ประชุม (bprà-chum, “to gather; to meet”).

cog

Mày mua giùm tao điếu thuốc cái coi!

Get me a cigarette while you're at it, please!

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) in someone else's stead


trụng

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to dip in boiling water; to scald


lấn

head

𢭹, 𪡍, 吝, 粦, 遴, 論

vi-verb

𢭹, 𪡍, 吝, 粦, 遴, 論

𢭹 (CJK)
𪡍 (CJK)
吝 (CJK)
粦 (CJK)
遴 (CJK)
論 (CJK)

(Southern Vietnam) to jostle; to push in order to squeeze in


ói

From Proto-Vietic *ʔoːlʔ (“to choke while eating”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ʔul() ~ *ʔuəlʔ ~ *ʔəl() ~ *hul() (“nausea; to choke; to vomit”). Cognate with Chut [Rục] ʔoːl³, Arem ʔuəlˀ ("to choke"), Pacoh oal, Khmer អួល (ʼuəl, “to gag; to choke”).

inh

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to vomit


y chang

[ʔi˧˧ t͡ɕaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɪj˧˧ t͡ɕaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɪj˧˧ caːŋ˧˧]

(Southern Vietnam) just like; be the same


ngừa

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 禦 (“to defend; to resist”, SV: ngự).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">ngự</i>


ráo trọi

[zaːw˧˦ t͡ɕɔj˧˨ʔ]

[ʐaːw˨˩˦ ʈɔj˨˩ʔ]

[ɹaːw˦˥ ʈɔj˨˩˨]

From ráo (“be dried up”) + trọi (“barren”).


bòn bon

[ʔɓɔn˨˩ ʔɓɔn˧˧]

[ʔɓɔŋ˦˩ ʔɓɔŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓɔŋ˨˩ ʔɓɔŋ˧˧]

Lansium domesticum
Lansium domesticum#Translingual

(Southern Vietnam) langsat (Lansium domesticum)


lồng

(slang, minced oath) Eye dialect spelling of lồn, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


lục bình

cây (classifier)
hoa (classifier)
bông (classifier)

[lʊwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ ʔɓïŋ˨˩]

[lʊwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ ʔɓɨn˦˩]

[lʊwk͡p̚˨˩˨ ʔɓɨn˨˩]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 綠 (“green”) and 萍 (“duckweed”).


mã tà

[maː˦ˀ˥ taː˨˩]

[maː˧˨ taː˦˩]

[maː˨˩˦ taː˨˩]

Unknown. Perhaps from Malay mata(-mata) (“police”) or from French matraque. Compare Min Nan 馬打／马打 (má-tâ), Thai หมาต๋า (mǎa-dtǎa).

(Southern Vietnam, historical) policeman during the French colonial period


hủ tíu

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of hủ tiếu


nôn

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-nôn.wav

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) anxious; impatient; eager


miểng

Nói chuyện gì mà văng miểng tùm lum!

You can't just talk without showering on people, can you?

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) Synonym of nước miếng (“drool; spit”)


mì gói

[mi˨˩ ɣɔj˧˦]

[mɪj˦˩ ɣɔj˨˩˦]

[mɪj˨˩ ɣɔj˦˥]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) instant noodles


ẵm

(Southern Vietnam) to hold something gently in one's arm


đi cầu

[ʔɗi˧˧ kəw˨˩]

[ʔɗɪj˧˧ kəw˦˩]

[ʔɗɪj˧˧ kəw˨˩]


nịt

Originally the noun derivative of rịt (“‘to fasten; to tie’”).

(Southern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) belt


vụt

head

挬, 桲, 樾, 𨁝, 𨅗

vụt • (挬, 桲, 樾, 𨁝, 𨅗) (reduplication vùn vụt)

vi-verb

挬, 桲, 樾, 𨁝, 𨅗

挬 (CJK)
桲 (CJK)
樾 (CJK)
𨁝 (CJK)
𨅗 (CJK)
vùn vụt (reduplication)

Compare vọt as well as the pair phụt, phọt.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to toss; to throw (forcefully and far)

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to throw away; to discard


quăng

Cognate with Arem kwaŋ, Khasi kawang (“to throw, hurl”). Ultimately of imitative origin, compare English wang.
See also quẳng and văng.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to throw away; to toss out


hòm

→ Tai Dam: ꪭꪮꪣ

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 函 (“case”, SV: hàm).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">hàm</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) coffin; casket


ghệ

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial, often disrespectful) girlfriend; girl


nhậu nhẹt

[ɲəw˧˨ʔ ɲɛt̚˧˨ʔ]

[ɲəw˨˩ʔ ɲɛt̚˨˩ʔ]

[ɲəw˨˩˨ ɲɛk̚˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to drink hard; to booze; to carouse


bự

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-bự.wav

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) big (in size or importance); great; influential


nước sôi

[nɨək̚˧˦ soj˧˧]

[nɨək̚˦˧˥ ʂoj˧˧]

[nɨək̚˦˧˥ soj˧˧]

[nɨək̚˦˥ ʂoj˧˧]

[nɨək̚˦˥ soj˧˧]

(idiomatic, Southern Vietnam) out of my way, coming through, make way


bò cạp

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ kaːp̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓɔ˦˩ kaːp̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ kaːp̚˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam) shivering (from cold with teeth clattering); trembling


nhà cầu

[ɲaː˨˩ kəw˨˩]

[ɲaː˦˩ kəw˦˩]

[ɲaː˨˩ kəw˨˩]

nhà (“house”) + cầu (“bridge, latrine”).


lờn

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of nhờn


gạt

(Southern Vietnam) to give security for (debt)


gạt

(Southern Vietnam) to dupe; to trick; to cheat


cá lóc

[kaː˨˩˦ lawk͡p̚˦˧˥]

cá lóc nướng trui


cùi

Cognate with Chut [Rục] kuːl² ("cob of corn").

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-cùi.wav

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) of low quality


hơi bị

[həːj˧˧ ʔɓi˧˨ʔ]

[həːj˧˧ ʔɓɪj˨˩ʔ]

[həːj˧˧ ʔɓɪj˨˩˨]

Phim hơi bị hay đó!

Thằng đó hơi bị ngu.

(before adjectives, Southern Vietnam, informal) mighty; damn; freaking; frigging; compare English quite which means both "fairly" and "very"


lí lắc

[lɪj˨˩˦ lak̚˦˧˥]


quậy

head

挂, 掛, 揆, 癸, 跪

vi-verb

挂, 掛, 揆, 癸, 跪

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to disturb; to harass; to be mischievous


lắp

(Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of lấp (“to fill”)


méc

This word is semantic rather than merely onomatopoeic, which makes /ɛːk/ an unusual rhyme even for southern dialects (the old rhyme /ɛːk/ has developed into in most words, from example, Vietnamese hạch < Proto-Vietic *-hɛːk). Some authors have spelt it mét instead. See also ẹc.

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam) to sneak, to tell, to report (something bad) about someone


tàn bạo

[taːn˨˩ ʔɓaːw˧˨ʔ]

[taːŋ˦˩ ʔɓaːw˨˩ʔ]

[taːŋ˨˩ ʔɓaːw˨˩˨]

(informal, Southern Vietnam) totally; extremely


giồng

(Southern Vietnam, especially Mekong Delta) an elevated alluvial stretch of land


nhỏng

Đầu súng nhỏng lên trời.


dơ

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-dơ.wav

Perhaps a dialectal variant that can occur alone of nhơ. Compare the synonyms dơ bẩn and nhơ bẩn. See also dòm and nhòm.

đồ dơ

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) dirty; unclean


bịnh

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of bệnh


hãi

(Southern Vietnam) to fear; to be afraid (of)


ba lăm

[ʔɓaː˧˧ lam˧˧]

[ʔɓaː˧˧ lam˧˧]

[ʔɓaː˧˧ lam˧˧]

giở trò ba lăm

to sexually prey on someone; to perform a perverted act on someone

Cái thằng ba lăm này!

(slang, Southern Vietnam) sexually predatory


trầm mình

[t͡ɕəm˨˩ mïŋ˨˩]

[ʈəm˦˩ mɨn˦˩]

[ʈəm˨˩ mɨn˨˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of trẫm mình


giỡn

Cognate with rỡn in cà rỡn and possibly nhởn.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to joke, to play


điếm

Thằng đó điếm lắm!

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam, games) being a cheater


đọt mọt

[ʔɗɔt̚˧˨ʔ mɔt̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗɔk̚˨˩ʔ mɔk̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗɔk̚˨˩˨ mɔk̚˨˩˨]


bồn cầu

[ʔɓon˨˩ kəw˨˩]

[ʔɓoŋ˦˩ kəw˦˩]

[ʔɓoŋ˨˩ kəw˨˩]


kiếng

Southern Vietnam form of kính (“glasses”)


dơ bẩn

[zəː˧˧ ʔɓən˧˩]

[jəː˧˧ ʔɓəŋ˧˨]

[jəː˧˧ ʔɓəŋ˨˩˦]


thâu

ngàn thâu

(literary) Southern Vietnam form of thu (“autumn”)


thâu

thâu tiền

Southern Vietnam form of thu (“to get, to retrieve”)


xế hộp

(Southern Vietnam, slang) small, box-like, four-wheeled vehicle; car


dầu thơm

[zəw˨˩ tʰəːm˧˧]

[jəw˦˩ tʰəːm˧˧]

[jəw˨˩ tʰəːm˧˧]


khoai mì

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) cassava


đụng

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 動 (SV: động). Compare động.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">động</i>

vi-etym-sino

[ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to meet (unexpectedly); to encounter

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to marry (each other)

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Synonym of động (“to touch (with, upon)”)


núc

[nʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to chug


úi

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) An expression of surprise


lạt

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of nhạt (“tasteless; bland”)


ăn hàng

[ʔan˧˧ haːŋ˨˩]

[ʔaŋ˧˧ haːŋ˦˩]

[ʔaŋ˧˧ haːŋ˨˩]

(Southern Vietnam) to eat between meals; to snack (when outside)


bển

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root bên (“side”) in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.


bển

United States of America
United States of America

(Southern Vietnam, specifically) the United States of America


cản

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 扞 (SV: hãn).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">hãn</i>


ẻm

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root em in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

(Southern Vietnam, in the singular, polite) they/them, that person who's a little younger than me

(Southern Vietnam, in the singular, polite) they/them, that student who's younger than me as a teacher


té giếng

[tɛ˧˦ ziəŋ˧˦]

[tɛ˨˩˦ jiəŋ˦˧˥]

[tɛ˦˥ jiəŋ˦˥]

Mày té giếng à !?

Did you friggin' hit your head or somp'n?

(Southern Vietnam, figurative, slang) to have hit your head


cỡi

Eye dialect spelling of cưỡi, representing Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


chà bông

[t͡ɕaː˨˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[t͡ɕaː˦˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[caː˨˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]


ngoắt

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to wag; to wave; to wiggle


cúng cơm

[kʊwŋ͡m˧˦ kəːm˧˧]

[kʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ kəːm˧˧]

[kʊwŋ͡m˦˥ kəːm˧˧]

cúng (“to offer (sacrifices)”) + cơm (“cooked rice”).

com

(Southern Vietnam) to make ceremonial offerings on the death anniversary


quýu

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam) being in such great anxiety that one's body starts to tremble or shrink


rước

(Southern Vietnam) Synonym of đón (“to pick up someone”)


cà tưng

[kaː˨˩ tɨŋ˧˧]

[kaː˦˩ tɨŋ˧˧]

[kaː˨˩ tɨŋ˧˧]

From cà- (“repetitive prefix”) + tưng (“to rebound”).

affix

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to keep on jumping up and down


cà rỡn

[kaː˨˩ zəːn˦ˀ˥]

[kaː˦˩ ʐəːŋ˧˨]

[kaː˨˩ ɹəːŋ˨˩˦]

From cà- (“repetitive prefix”) + rỡn (“to joke, to play”). See also giỡn.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to keep on joking, playing


nón bảo hiểm

[nɔn˧˦ ʔɓaːw˧˩ hiəm˧˩]

[nɔŋ˦˧˥ ʔɓaːw˧˨ hiəm˧˨]

[nɔŋ˦˥ ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ him˨˩˦]


đặng

Nàng bước vô rạp hát thấy có người ta ngồi rải rác các hạng ước chừng năm sáu chục người. Nàng lựa hàng ghế trống rồi phăng phăng đi lại ngồi cái ghế đầu, đặng vãn hát đi ra cho dễ.

1928, Hồ Biểu Chánh, chapter 1, in Kẻ làm người chịu:

She walked into the theatre and saw that there were about 50-60 people who already had their seats sitting dispersedly on seats of various classes. She chose an empty row then imprudently walked to the first seat, so that she can relish the performance better as well as having an easier time leaving.

(Central Vietnam, dated in Southern Vietnam among younger generations) in order to, so that


đặng

(Central Vietnam, dated in Southern Vietnam among younger generations) expresses ability or possibility


anh hai

[ʔajŋ̟˧˧ haːj˧˧]

[ʔɛɲ˧˧ haːj˧˧]

anh (“elder brother”) + hai (“two”); literally "the second eldest brother".
Folk etymology claims that in the times when Northern and Southern Vietnam were separated, families in the South often had the eldest son to reside in Northern Vietnam, while the second eldest son lived with the rest of the family in the South and therefore became the "eldest son".


hụ

(Southern Vietnam) to sound (usually of a siren)


đá banh

[ʔɗaː˧˦ ʔɓajŋ̟˧˧]

[ʔɗaː˨˩˦ ʔɓɛɲ˧˧]

[ʔɗaː˦˥ ʔɓan˧˧]

association football
association football

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to play association football; soccer


đá banh

[ʔɗaː˧˦ ʔɓajŋ̟˧˧]

[ʔɗaː˨˩˦ ʔɓɛɲ˧˧]

[ʔɗaː˦˥ ʔɓan˧˧]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) association football; soccer


bánh tráng

[ʔɓajŋ̟˧˦ t͡ɕaːŋ˧˦]

[ʔɓɛɲ˦˧˥ ʈaːŋ˦˧˥]

[ʔɓan˦˥ ʈaːŋ˦˥]

From bánh (“flour-based food”) + tráng (“to spread thinly”).

com

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Vietnamese rice paper


tôm tít

From tôm (“shrimp, pawn”) + tít (“centipede”). Equivalent to tôm + rết in Northern Vietnam, and tôm + rít in Southern Vietnam.
As tít is a North Central form, the phrase "tôm tít" certainly originated from that region, then spread to other Central and Southern dialects.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) mantis shrimp


trầm

(Southern Vietnam) to make submerged underwater; to drown (something or someone)


trầm

(Southern Vietnam, of land) low and flooded


rít

Southern Vietnam form of rết (“centipede”)


rành

head

伶, 佲, 停, 炩, 𣉏

vi-verb

伶, 佲, 停, 炩, 𣉏

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to know clearly; to be acquainted (with)


rành

head

伶, 佲, 停, 炩, 𣉏

vi-adj

伶, 佲, 停, 炩, 𣉏

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, rare) clear; plain; evident; obvious


dạn

(archaic or Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) bold; brazen; not shy; not self-conscious


xoàn

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 鑽 (“diamond”, SV: toản).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">toản</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) diamond


mồng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) crest; comb (of cock)


ngăm

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to threaten; to intimidate


thực thà

[tʰɨk̚˧˨ʔ tʰaː˨˩]

[tʰɨk̚˨˩ʔ tʰaː˦˩]

[tʰɨk̚˨˩˨ tʰaː˨˩]

(Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of thật thà


cà chớn

[kaː˨˩ t͡ɕəːn˧˦]

[kaː˦˩ t͡ɕəːŋ˦˧˥]

[kaː˨˩ cəːŋ˦˥]

From Khmer ខ្ជិល (khcɨl, “lazy; idle; shiftless”).

bor

Mr. Bean lái cà chớn.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) rude, sassy, insolent


bíu

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to cling


bàu

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) pond, pool


rinh

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to carry (something with both hands to another place); to carry away; to take away


phượt

(Southern Vietnam) to pass quickly; to rush past; to speed past


lu bu

[lu˧˧ ʔɓu˧˧]

[lʊw˧˧ ʔɓʊw˧˧]

[lʊw˧˧ ʔɓʊw˧˧]


nẳm

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root năm (“year”) in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) that year


bữa hổm

[ʔɓɨə˦ˀ˥ hom˧˩]

[ʔɓɨə˧˨ hom˧˨]

[ʔɓɨə˨˩˦ hom˨˩˦]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) that day (in the past); the other day; the day before


ve chai

[vɛ˧˧ t͡ɕaːj˧˧]

[vɛ˧˧ t͡ɕaːj˧˧]

[vɛ˧˧ caːj˧˧]

[jɛ˧˧ caːj˧˧]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) bottles; waste (in general); scrap; junk


hổm

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root hôm (“day”) in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.


ngoải

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root ngoài (“outside”) in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) that place outside; out there; outside


ngoải

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root ngoại (“maternal grandparent”) in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) she or he (referring to one's ông ngoại or bà ngoại)


quạu

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to be angry; to get mad


quạu

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) irritable; cranky


khứa

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 鋸 (“saw; to saw off”, SV: cứ). Related to cứa, cưa.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">cứ</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to cut little by little; to saw off


khứa

(Southern Vietnam) cut; slice; piece from cutting


khứa

(archaic, Southern Vietnam) moderate; fair; average

(archaic, Southern Vietnam) a lot of; much; considerable


khứa

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, derogatory) he; that bloke


mắc cỡ

[mak̚˧˦ kəː˦ˀ˥]

[mak̚˦˧˥ kəː˧˨]

[mak̚˦˥ kəː˨˩˦]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) shy; bashful


mắc cỡ

[mak̚˧˦ kəː˦ˀ˥]

[mak̚˦˧˥ kəː˧˨]

[mak̚˦˥ kəː˨˩˦]

Mimosa pudica
Mimosa pudica#Translingual

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) touch-me-not; shy plant (Mimosa pudica)


lặt

Attested as mlặt, lặt, nhạt, mnhạt in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).
From Proto-Vietic *m-ləc. Cognate with Arem alɪc.

lặt lá mai đón Tết

to pluck the leaves of the mai tree to prepare for the blossom during New Year

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to pluck off


lãng xẹt

[laːŋ˦ˀ˥ sɛt̚˧˨ʔ]

[laːŋ˧˨ sɛt̚˨˩ʔ]

[laːŋ˨˩˦ sɛk̚˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) Synonym of lãng nhách


lãng nhách

[laːŋ˦ˀ˥ ɲajk̟̚˧˦]

[laːŋ˧˨ ɲat̚˦˧˥]

[laːŋ˨˩˦ ɲat̚˦˥]

chuyện lãng nhách/xẹt

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) frivolous or ridiculous


quá giang

[kwaː˧˦ zaːŋ˧˧]

[kwaː˨˩˦ jaːŋ˧˧]

[waː˦˥ jaːŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 過江 (“to cross a river”). See also quá độ.

(Southern Vietnam) to cross a body of water by boat

(by extension, Southern Vietnam) to hitchhike


đụng chạm

[ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ t͡ɕaːm˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˨˩ʔ t͡ɕaːm˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˨˩˨ caːm˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of động chạm (“to touch upon; to harm”)


làm biếng

[laːm˨˩ ʔɓiəŋ˧˦]

[laːm˦˩ ʔɓiəŋ˦˧˥]

[laːm˨˩ ʔɓiəŋ˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to be lazy


xía

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to interfere


mụt ruồi

[mʊk̚˨˩ʔ ʐuj˦˩]

[mʊk͡p̚˨˩˨ ɹuj˨˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) mole; melanocytic nevus


rau câu

[ʐaw˧˧ kəw˧˧]

From rau (“leaf vegetable”) + câu (the name of the plant). The term was originally used to refer to red algae of the genus Gracilaria, and later to jelly. These red algae are a source of agar, a gelatin substitute in jelly.


xoáy

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hair whorl


tợ

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 似 (“to resemble”, SV: tự). Compare tựa.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">tự</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to be like; to be similar to


bá láp

[ʔɓaː˧˦ laːp̚˧˦]

[ʔɓaː˨˩˦ laːp̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓaː˦˥ laːp̚˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) of the bollocks, bullshit


bá láp

[ʔɓaː˧˦ laːp̚˧˦]

[ʔɓaː˨˩˦ laːp̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓaː˦˥ laːp̚˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to humbug, to tell lies


giú

Related to giấu. Cognate with Muong chủ (“to hide”) and Chut [Rục] cuː³ (“to cover seeds”).

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to hide; to cover; to conceal

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to cover fruits to make them ripe artificially


huề

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 和 (SV: hoà).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">hoà</i>

vi-etym-sino

huề cả làng

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of hoà (“resulting in a draw”)


huề

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to draw, to tie


hộp quẹt

[hop̚˧˨ʔ kwɛt̚˧˨ʔ]

[hop̚˨˩ʔ kwɛt̚˨˩ʔ]

[hop̚˨˩˨ wɛt̚˨˩˨]

hộp (“box, can, tin”) + quẹt (“to rub”).

hột quẹt

probably due to regressive assimilation /-p k- > -k k-/


bày đặt

[ʔɓaj˨˩ ʔɗat̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓaj˦˩ ʔɗak̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓa(ː)j˨˩ ʔɗak̚˨˩˨]

(chiefly Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to make things unnecessarily complicated


phỏng

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of bỏng


lảng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hard of hearing due to old age


bẹo

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial, usually of cheek) to pinch


ăn nhậu

[ʔan˧˧ ɲəw˧˨ʔ]

[ʔaŋ˧˧ ɲəw˨˩ʔ]

[ʔaŋ˧˧ ɲəw˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to have drinks and hors d'oeuvres; to booze


moả

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root moa in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.
Also borrowed from French moi (“me”).

vi-etym-hoi

(dated, Southern Vietnam, humorous) I, me


ngưng

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 停 (“to stop”, SV: đình).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">đình</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Synonym of ngừng (“to stop; to halt”)


bình thuỷ

[ʔɓïŋ˨˩ tʰwi˧˩]

[ʔɓɨn˦˩ tʰwɪj˧˨]

[ʔɓɨn˨˩ tʰ⁽ʷ⁾ɪj˨˩˦]

Calque of Chinese 水瓶 (thuỷ bình, “water bottle”). The morpheme thuỷ (水) was likely not translated to native nước in order to avoid confusion with usual water bottles.


đèn cầy

[ʔɗɛn˨˩ kəj˨˩]

[ʔɗɛŋ˦˩ kəj˦˩]

[ʔɗɛŋ˨˩ kəj˨˩]

From đèn (“lamp”) + cầy (“Irvingia malayana”).
In Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị (1895), it is noted that the sap of I. malayana was used to make đèn cầy.


xấu hoắc

[səw˨˩˦ hwak̚˦˧˥]

Một người đàn ông chăm sóc cho em rất là kĩ, yêu em rất là nhiều, chiều em rất là tốt, nhưng đôi mắt "xấu hoắc", thì sao?

2016, 3:15 from the start, in Bạn Muốn Hẹn Hò, episode 209:

A man who takes good care of you, loves you very much, pampers you... yet he has a very ugly pair of eyes. What do you think?

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) very ugly


dằm

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) place (for sitting, lying down, placing something, etc.); seat


cưỡng

(Southern Vietnam) a black-collared starling (Gracupica nigricollis)


giả bộ

[zaː˧˩ ʔɓo˧˨ʔ]

[jaː˧˨ ʔɓow˨˩ʔ]

[jaː˨˩˦ ʔɓow˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to pretend (to be something), to simulate


trách

[t͡ɕajk̟̚˧˦]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) earthenware pot; small cooking pot


gần gụi

[ɣən˨˩ ɣuj˧˨ʔ]

[ɣəŋ˦˩ ɣuj˨˩ʔ]

[ɣəŋ˨˩ ɣuj˨˩˨]

A variant of gần gũi, probably originated from a North Central dialect where ngã (C2) and nặng (B2) tones merged.

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of gần gũi


xí muội

[sɪj˨˩˦ muj˨˩ʔ]

Corruption of Cantonese 酸梅 (syun1 mui4).

(Southern Vietnam) salted Chinese plum; smoked plum


lãng

Sino-Vietnamese word from 浪 (“wave”). Compare nhãng.

(Southern Vietnam) ridiculous; nonsensical

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of lảng (“hard of hearing due to old age”)


phản ảnh

[faːn˧˩ ʔajŋ̟˧˩]

[faːŋ˧˨ ʔɛɲ˧˨]

[faːŋ˨˩˦ ʔan˨˩˦]

An eggcorn of phản ánh, due to ảnh (“image”).

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) Eggcorn of phản ánh.


thấu

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, in the negative) able (to)


ghiền

Perhaps a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 健 (SV: kiện).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">kiện</i>

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to be addicted to


bánh da heo

[ʔɓajŋ̟˧˦ zaː˧˧ hɛw˧˧]

[ʔɓɛɲ˦˧˥ jaː˧˧ hɛw˧˧]

[ʔɓan˦˥ jaː˧˧ hɛw˧˧]

bánh (“cake”) + da (“skin”) + heo (“pig”)

compound

(Southern Vietnam) A Vietnamese steamed layer cake made from tapioca starch, rice flour, mashed mung beans, taro, or durian, coconut milk and/or water, and sugar.


bánh bía

[ʔɓajŋ̟˧˦ ʔɓiə˧˦]

[ʔɓɛɲ˦˧˥ ʔɓiə˨˩˦]

[ʔɓan˦˥ ʔɓiə˦˥]

(Saigon) Alternative form of bánh pía (“a Suzhou-style mooncake adapted from Teochew cuisine”)


xa pô chê

cây (classifier)
quả (classifier)
trái (classifier)

[saː˧˧ po˧˧ t͡ɕe˧˧]

Manilkara zapota
Manilkara zapota#Translingual

(Southern Vietnam) sapodilla (Manilkara zapota)


ngựa trời

[ŋɨə˧˨ʔ t͡ɕəːj˨˩]

[ŋɨə˨˩ʔ ʈəːj˦˩]

[ŋɨə˨˩˨ ʈəːj˨˩]


xỉn

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam) drunk; blitzed


nạm

phở nạm


tánh

Southern Vietnam form of tính (“nature; character; disposition; temperament”)


bực

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of bậc (“step; rung; rank; level”)


hổi

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root hồi in Southern Vietnamese and certain dialects of Thanh Hoá.


thí mồ

[tʰɪj˨˩˦ mow˦˩]

Eye dialect spelling of thấy mồ, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


thấy mồ

[tʰəj˧˦ mo˨˩]

[tʰəj˨˩˦ mow˦˩]

chán thấy mồ


đệch

(Internet slang, minced oath) Eye dialect spelling of đệt, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


thí bà nội

[tʰi˧˦ ʔɓaː˨˩ noj˧˨ʔ]

[tʰɪj˨˩˦ ʔɓaː˦˩ noj˨˩ʔ]

[tʰɪj˦˥ ʔɓaː˨˩ noj˨˩˨]

(mildly vulgar, chiefly Southern Vietnam) Synonym of thí mẹ (“very much”)


dợ

Pronunciation spelling of vậy, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


hai lúa

[haːj˧˧ luə˨˩˦]

(Southern Vietnam, derogatory) peasant; countryman


hai lúa

[haːj˧˧ luə˨˩˦]

(Southern Vietnam, derogatory) rustic; naïve


mại vô

Chinese 賣／卖 (mài, “to sell”) + vô (imperatively intensifying particle).

(Southern Vietnam, humorous) come and check out and buy my/our stuff, folks!


mại dô

Eye dialect spelling of mại vô, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


chanh dây

[t͡ɕajŋ̟˧˧ zəj˧˧]

[t͡ɕɛɲ˧˧ jəj˧˧]


trả giá

[t͡ɕaː˧˩ zaː˧˦]

[ʈaː˧˨ jaː˨˩˦]

[ʈaː˨˩˦ jaː˦˥]


hết trơn hết trọi

[het̚˧˦ t͡ɕəːn˧˧ het̚˧˦ t͡ɕɔj˧˨ʔ]

[het̚˦˧˥ ʈəːŋ˧˧ het̚˦˧˥ ʈɔj˨˩ʔ]

[həːt̚˦˥ ʈəːŋ˧˧ həːt̚˦˥ ʈɔj˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial, emphatic) all; completely; totally


trọi

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of trụi


lẫy

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to sulk; to get angry


kinh

Eye dialect spelling of kênh, representing Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


kiểng

Eye dialect spelling of cảnh, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


um sùm

[ʔum˧˧ ʂum˦˩]

[ʔʊm˧˧ ʂʊm˨˩]

[ʔʊm˧˧ sʊm˨˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) very loud; noisy


cô nương

[ko˧˧ nɨəŋ˧˧]

[kow˧˧ nɨəŋ˧˧]

[kow˧˧ nɨəŋ˧˧]

(polite in Chinese fiction or humorous or ironic in Southern Vietnam) you, young lady


nghĩ sao

[ŋi˦ˀ˥ saːw˧˧]

[ŋɪj˧˨ ʂaːw˧˧]

[ŋɪj˧˨ saːw˧˧]

[ŋɪj˨˩˦ ʂaːw˧˧]

[ŋɪj˨˩˦ saːw˧˧]

what were you thinking?
what was someone thinking#English

(Southern Vietnam, informal) how the hell; how in the world; what were you thinking?


đía

(Southern Vietnam, especially Mekong Delta) to lie; to talk nonsense; to brag


sở thú

head

sở thú • (所獸)

vi-noun

sở thú • (所獸)

[səː˧˩ tʰu˧˦]

[ʂəː˧˨ tʰʊw˨˩˦]

[səː˧˨ tʰʊw˨˩˦]

[ʂəː˨˩˦ tʰʊw˦˥]

[səː˨˩˦ tʰʊw˦˥]

sở (“department, place”) + thú (“animal”), literally "department/place of animals".
Apparently originally the colloquial nickname for the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, then became the term of "zoo" in general.


đờn

(Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of đàn (“certain musical instruments”)


niền

The n-nominalisation reflex of viền (“to hem; to edge”). Also compare vành.

niền xe đạp

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) rim of a wheel

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hoop; band (put around a barrel etc.)


niền

niền răng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to bind (as with a hoop or band on the outside); to tie

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to put in the stocks


dưng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of dâng


bất tử

Clipping of bất đắc kì tử (“to not get one's (usual) death; to die suddenly”), an idiom originating from the Analects. Compare Chinese 不得好死 (bất đắc hảo tử).

clipping

bất đắc kì tử

[ʔɓət̚˧˦ tɨ˧˩]

[ʔɓək̚˦˧˥ tɨ˧˨]

[ʔɓək̚˦˥ tɨ˨˩˦]

chết bất tử

(Southern Vietnam) (dying) all of a sudden; unexpectedly

(Southern Vietnam, by extension) suddenly; all of a sudden


bất tử

bất đắc kì tử

[ʔɓət̚˧˦ tɨ˧˩]

[ʔɓək̚˦˧˥ tɨ˧˨]

[ʔɓək̚˦˥ tɨ˨˩˦]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) reckless; rash; unruly


quá trời

[kwaː˧˦ t͡ɕəːj˨˩]

[kwaː˨˩˦ ʈəːj˦˩]

[waː˦˥ ʈəːj˨˩]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) extremely; mighty


quá xá

[kwaː˨˩˦ saː˨˩˦]

[waː˦˥ saː˦˥]

Về thưa ba thưa má mà vui quá xá nếu anh cưới nàng nà
Cò bay lơi bay lả cò ơi

2024 January 31, “Căn nhà tranh mái lá [Thatched house]”, performed by Tibicon ft. Deagle and Dub P:

Going back to inform your parents, it will be great if I can marry you, oh.
Dear stork, fly fly away！


nhây

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) (talking, doing something) in a long, drawn-out manner; lengthy


càm ràm

head

càm ràm (‑a reduplication càm rà càm ràm)

[kaːm˦˩ ʐaːm˦˩]

[kaːm˨˩ ɹaːm˨˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to whinge; to whine; to complain


mắc mỏ

[mak̚˧˦ mɔ˧˩]

[mak̚˦˧˥ mɔ˧˨]

[mak̚˦˥ mɔ˨˩˦]


nạt

㖏, 捏, 揑, 涅, 𠽇, 󰂭, 󰆯

vi-verb

㖏, 捏, 揑, 涅, 𠽇, 󰂭, 󰆯

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to browbeat; to thunder


mừng húm

[mɨŋ˨˩ hum˧˦]

[mɨŋ˦˩ hum˦˧˥]

[mɨŋ˨˩ hʊm˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to be overjoyed; to be bursting with joy


ớn

head

𠹵, 按, 𠻈, 𢞴, 𫣃

ớn • (𠹵, 按, 𠻈, 𢞴, 𫣃) (diminutive reduplication ơn ớn)

vi-verb

𠹵, 按, 𠻈, 𢞴, 𫣃

𠹵 (CJK)
按 (CJK)
𠻈 (CJK)
𢞴 (CJK)
𫣃 (CJK)
ơn ớn (diminutive reduplication)

(Southern Vietnam) to be scared of; to fear


nghen

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) Synonym of nhé


cộ

head

cộ • (椇, 𤚦, 𨍄)

vi-noun

cộ • (椇, 𤚦, 𨍄)

2013, Từ Kế Tường, " Ngồi cộ trâu (Riding the buffalo-sled)" Tuổi Trẻ (Youth)

My childhood in a village's corner was closely linked to the buffalo-sled.

Tuổi thơ tôi ở một góc làng quê gần như gắn liền với chiếc cộ trâu.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) a kind of buffalo- or cattle-driven wheelless vehicle, a sled

Ngày nào cộ bò của Ngân cũng lăn bánh trên khắp nẻo đường, hẻm hóc

2017, La Hai, “Chuyện về người làm nghề lái cộ bò trở thành người 'nổi tiếng' (The story about an ox-cart driver who became 'famous')”, in Nông Nghiệp Việt Nam (Vietnamese Agriculture):

Every day Ngân's ox-cart rolled its wheels on all roadways and alleyways.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) (non-standard) a kind of buffalo- or cattle-driven two-wheeled vehicle, a cart


cộ

2019, Mai Anh & Ngọc Quyên, "Lạ đời: Ở đây 'chê' máy móc, dân vẫn thích cộ lúa bằng trâu (Strange: machines are 'belittled' here, folks still like to haul rice with buffaloes)" Dân Việt (Vietnamese Folks)

And just like that, after every harvest the images of the buffaloes hauling rice or hauling straws again appear on many fields of the Western region.

Và cứ thế, sau mùa gặt hình ảnh những chú trâu cộ lúa hay cộ rơm lại xuất hiện tại nhiều cánh đồng ở miền Tây.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to haul (a vehicle); to drag; to transport


nầy

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) this

nơi nào. 2 Can be used on its own

where; no longer completely true in the modern language

where; this much; where *C is nonspecific consonant


cá điêu hồng

[kaː˧˦ ʔɗiəw˧˧ həwŋ͡m˨˩]

[kaː˨˩˦ ʔɗiw˧˧ həwŋ͡m˦˩]

[kaː˦˥ ʔɗiw˧˧ həwŋ͡m˨˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) red tilapia


phước

Sino-Vietnamese word from 福. Doublet of phúc.

(Southern Vietnam) good fortune; good luck; happiness; bliss; felicity


áo thun

[ʔaːw˧˦ tʰun˧˧]

[ʔaːw˨˩˦ tʰun˧˧]

[ʔaːw˦˥ tʰʊwŋ͡m˧˧]


hết trơn

[het̚˧˦ t͡ɕəːn˧˧]

[het̚˦˧˥ ʈəːŋ˧˧]

[həːt̚˦˥ ʈəːŋ˧˧]


sui gia

[ʂuj˧˧ jaː˧˧]

[ʂuj˧˧ jaː˧˧]

sui is from Proto-Vietic *p-ruːj (“marriage”); gia is a Sino-Vietnamese word from 家.

(Southern Vietnam) union between families by marriage; parents of husband and wife; co-parents-in-law


ngột

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to feel suffocated


lãnh vực

[lajŋ̟˦ˀ˥ vɨk̚˧˨ʔ]

[lɛɲ˧˨ vɨk̚˨˩ʔ]

[lan˨˩˦ vɨk̚˨˩˨]

[lan˨˩˦ jɨk̚˨˩˨]


cá tra

[kaː˧˦ t͡ɕaː˧˧]

[kaː˨˩˦ ʈaː˧˧]

[kaː˦˥ ʈaː˧˧]

cá + tra, from Khmer ប្រា (praa, “certain Pangasius species”).

bor

(Southern Vietnam, zoology) iridescent shark, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus


chọc lét

[t͡ɕawk͡p̚˧˨ʔ lɛt̚˧˦]

[t͡ɕawk͡p̚˨˩ʔ lɛt̚˦˧˥]

[cawk͡p̚˨˩˨ lɛk̚˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to tickle


kẹt xe

[kɛt̚˧˨ʔ sɛ˧˧]

[kɛt̚˨˩ʔ sɛ˧˧]

[kɛk̚˨˩˨ sɛ˧˧]


ráy

head

ráy • (𤀕, ⿰土再)

vi-noun

ráy • (𤀕, ⿰土再)

– Ừa, nghe khoái con ráy rồi, mai mốt dẫn tụi tao đi coi chân cẳng họ nghe, mầy!

1970, Duyên Anh, Mặt trời nhỏ: Truyện dài [The little sun: a long novel], Saigon: Tuổi Ngọc, page 118:

– Ye, hearing it was a pleasure to our ear[hole]s, someday you need to take us go and watch those legs [of the soccer players] in action!

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) (con~) eardrum, earhole


dây nịt

[zəj˧˧ nit̚˧˨ʔ]

[jəj˧˧ nit̚˨˩ʔ]

[jəj˧˧ nɨt̚˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam) belt (worn around the waist)


dzô dziên

(Internet slang) Southern Vietnam form of vô duyên


dô diên

Dô diên! Ai mướn đâu mà làm!

Hey Prince Uncharming! No one asked for your help!

Pronunciation spelling of vô duyên, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


vịt xiêm

[vɨt̚˨˩˨ sim˧˧]

[jɨt̚˨˩˨ sim˧˧]


biết chết liền

[ʔɓiət̚˧˦ t͡ɕet̚˧˦ liən˨˩]

[ʔɓiək̚˦˧˥ t͡ɕet̚˦˧˥ liəŋ˦˩]

[ʔɓiək̚˦˥ cəːt̚˦˥ liəŋ˨˩]

(slang, Southern Vietnam) no flippin' idea; how the hell should I know?


nhợn

Nhưng rồi chính cái gọi là Nhà ấy cũng khiến hắn nhợn mình.

2001, Chu Lai, Cuộc đời dài lắm, NXB Văn học, page 193:

But then it was that very thing called Home that caused him nausea and fear.


chạng

Anh chàng cũng chạng chân, khuỳnh tay trợn mắt nhìn trở lại – […]

2001, Chu Lai, Cuộc đời dài lắm, NXB Văn học, page 194:

The lad also stood with his feet apart and his arms akimbo, rolling his eyes and looking back, […]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to spread out; split; extend (diagonally)


thẳng thớm

[tʰaŋ˧˩ tʰəːm˧˦]

[tʰaŋ˧˨ tʰəːm˦˧˥]

[tʰaŋ˨˩˦ tʰəːm˦˥]

Trước mặt hai người là một vườn su non được trồng khá thẳng thớm, […]

2001, Chu Lai, Cuộc đời dài lắm, NXB Văn học, page 197:

In front of the two of them was an orchard of rubber saplings planted in more or less straight lines, […]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) straight


bá cháy

[ʔɓaː˧˦ t͡ɕaj˧˦]

[ʔɓaː˨˩˦ t͡ɕaj˨˩˦]

[ʔɓaː˦˥ ca(ː)j˦˥]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) awesome; cool; badass


điệp

Sino-Vietnamese word from 蝶 (“butterfly”).
The sense of "scallop" is due to the visual similarity between scallop's valves and butterfly's wings when spread.

vi-etym-sino

(Southern Vietnam) Caesalpinia pulcherrima


cam go

[kaːm˧˧ ɣɔ˧˧]

[kaːm˧˧ ɣɔ˧˧]

[kaːm˧˧ ɣɔ˧˧]

com

compare <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">gay go</i>

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) full of difficulties and challenges; difficult; daunting


cam go

[kaːm˧˧ ɣɔ˧˧]

[kaːm˧˧ ɣɔ˧˧]

[kaːm˧˧ ɣɔ˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) difficulty; challenge


quần què

[kwəŋ˦˩ kwɛ˦˩]

[wəŋ˨˩ wɛ˨˩]

quần (“pants”) + què (“crippled”).
Some consider this as a Southern corruption of quần hoè, a kind of pants worn in pre-modern times by women during menstruation, making use of flowers of the Chinese scholar tree to limit bleeding.

Đang làm cái quần què gì vậy?

(figurative, chiefly Southern Vietnam, low colloquial, slang) bullshit; rubbish; your ass


dượt

(Southern Vietnam) to practise, to rehash, to train


quấc

Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị

The Chinese Character Dictionary for the Sounds of the Great Southern Land

(obsolete) Southern Vietnam form of quốc


lạt nhách

[laːt̚˧˨ʔ ɲajk̟̚˧˦]

[laːk̚˨˩ʔ ɲat̚˦˧˥]

[laːk̚˨˩˨ ɲat̚˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) very bland, extremely tasteless


quần xà lỏn

[kwən˨˩ saː˨˩ lɔn˧˩]

[kwəŋ˦˩ saː˦˩ lɔŋ˧˨]

[wəŋ˨˩ saː˨˩ lɔŋ˨˩˦]

quần + xà lỏn, borrowed from a neighbouring language, compare Lao ຜ້າສະໂລ່ງ (phāsa lōng) and Thai โสร่ง (sà-ròong).


chứng cớ

[t͡ɕɨŋ˧˦ kəː˧˦]

[t͡ɕɨŋ˦˧˥ kəː˨˩˦]

[cɨŋ˦˥ kəː˦˥]

Compare thư and thơ (“letter”), tiểu thư and tiểu thơ (“young mistress”).

Southern Vietnam form of chứng cứ (“evidence; proof”)


màng nhện

[maːŋ˨˩ ɲen˧˨ʔ]

[maːŋ˦˩ ɲen˨˩ʔ]

[maːŋ˨˩ ɲəːn˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) spiderweb


hèn gì

[hɛŋ˦˩ jɪj˦˩]

[hɛŋ˨˩ jɪj˨˩]

(Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) I know it; no wonder; just as I expected


hèn chi

[hɛn˨˩ t͡ɕi˧˧]

[hɛŋ˦˩ t͡ɕɪj˧˧]

[hɛŋ˨˩ cɪj˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) no wonder; of course; it figures


tụi nó

[tuj˧˨ʔ nɔ˧˦]

[tuj˨˩ʔ nɔ˨˩˦]

[tuj˨˩˨ nɔ˦˥]

tụi (pluralising particle) + nó (“he, she, it”).


bà chằn

[ʔɓaː˨˩ t͡ɕan˨˩]

[ʔɓaː˦˩ t͡ɕaŋ˦˩]

[ʔɓaː˨˩ caŋ˨˩]

The sense "ferocious woman" was likely due to the word being treated as if it is a compound of bà (“old woman, old lady”) + chằn (“ogre”).

com

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam, can be offensive) a ferocious woman


thiệt tình

[tʰiət̚˧˨ʔ tïŋ˨˩]

[tʰiək̚˨˩ʔ tɨn˦˩]

[tʰiək̚˨˩˨ tɨn˨˩]


thiệt tình

[tʰiət̚˧˨ʔ tïŋ˨˩]

[tʰiək̚˨˩ʔ tɨn˦˩]

[tʰiək̚˨˩˨ tɨn˨˩]


thiệt tình

[tʰiət̚˧˨ʔ tïŋ˨˩]

[tʰiək̚˨˩ʔ tɨn˦˩]

[tʰiək̚˨˩˨ tɨn˨˩]

Giỡn thì giỡn vừa vừa thôi chứ giỡn gì ghê vậy. Thiệt tình luôn á.

Play harmless jokes, don't play such a cruel joke. Jesus Christ, what's wrong with you?

(Southern Vietnam) honestly; seriously; for Pete's sake


trớt quớt

[t͡ɕəːt̚˧˦ kwəːt̚˧˦]

[ʈəːk̚˦˧˥ kwəːk̚˦˧˥]

[ʈəːk̚˦˥ wəːk̚˦˥]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) futile, anticlimactic, turnt out to be useless


nước lạnh

[nɨək̚˧˦ lajŋ̟˧˨ʔ]

[nɨək̚˦˧˥ lɛɲ˨˩ʔ]

[nɨək̚˦˥ lan˨˩˨]

(dated, Southern Vietnam) unboiled water


bảnh

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">bỉnh</i>

vi-etym-sino

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 炳 (“bright, luminous”, SV: bỉnh)

Chu cha ! Bữa nay bảnh ghê ta !

Wow! You look like you could kick some ass today!

(Southern Vietnam, slang, humorous, usually of a boy or man) badass; kickass; "cool"


hổng dám

1992, Nguyễn Văn Hiên (lyrics and music), Không Dám Đâu (I Wouldn't Dare!), performance by Hiền Thục
Ôi hấp dẫn tuyệt vời, nhưng mà em hổng dám đâu !

[They're] oh so superbly fascinating, but I wouldn't dare.

Pronunciation spelling of không dám, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


ăn bận

[ʔan˧˧ ʔɓən˧˨ʔ]

[ʔaŋ˧˧ ʔɓəŋ˨˩ʔ]

[ʔaŋ˧˧ ʔɓəŋ˨˩˨]

ăn bận chỉnh tề

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to dress (up); to wear clothes


bông vụ

[ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧ vu˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧ vʊw˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧ vʊw˨˩˨]

[ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧ jʊw˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam) kind of spinning top toy


bự đùng

[ʔɓɨ˧˨ʔ ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

[ʔɓɨ˨˩ʔ ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˦˩]

[ʔɓɨ˨˩˨ ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) huge; gigantic; enormous


cà khịa

[kaː˨˩ xiə˧˨ʔ]

[kaː˦˩ kʰiə˨˩ʔ]

[kaː˦˩ xiə˨˩ʔ]

[kaː˨˩ kʰiə˨˩˨]

[kaː˨˩ xiə˨˩˨]

From cà- (“repetitive prefix”) + khịa (“to poke, to tease, to provoke”).

affix

(Southern Vietnam) to quarrel; pick fights; incite conflict


dễ sợ

[ze˦ˀ˥ səː˧˨ʔ]

[jej˧˨ ʂəː˨˩ʔ]

[jej˧˨ səː˨˩ʔ]

[jej˨˩˦ ʂəː˨˩˨]

[jej˨˩˦ səː˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) very; extremely; drastically; at a very high level


chần chờ

(Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of chần chừ.


mèn đét ơi

[mɛn˨˩ ʔɗɛt̚˧˦ ʔəːj˧˧]

[mɛŋ˦˩ ʔɗɛt̚˦˧˥ ʔəːj˧˧]

[mɛŋ˨˩ ʔɗɛk̚˦˥ ʔəːj˧˧]

(Southern Vietnam) Jesus Christ; holy shit


ngày mốt

[ŋaj˦˩ mok̚˦˧˥]

ngày (“day”) + mốt (“day after tomorrow”).

com

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, formal or emphatic) overmorrow; the day after tomorrow


cù bơ cù bất

[ku˨˩ ʔɓəː˧˧ ku˨˩ ʔɓət̚˧˦]

[kʊw˦˩ ʔɓəː˧˧ kʊw˦˩ ʔɓək̚˦˧˥]

[kʊw˨˩ ʔɓəː˧˧ kʊw˨˩ ʔɓək̚˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) derelict; vagrant; homeless


heo đất

[hɛw˧˧ ʔɗət̚˧˦]

[hɛw˧˧ ʔɗək̚˦˧˥]

[hɛw˧˧ ʔɗək̚˦˥]


số dách

[ʂow˨˩˦ jat̚˦˧˥]

số + dách; the second element is from Cantonese 一 (jat¹) (SV: nhất).

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial, of quality) the best


vậy hả

[vəj˧˨ʔ haː˧˩]

[vəj˨˩ʔ haː˧˨]

[vəj˨˩˨ haː˨˩˦]

[jəj˨˩˨ haː˨˩˦]


miễu

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 廟 (SV: miếu). Doublet of miếu.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">miếu</i>

vi-etym-sino

Rằm tháng này người ta đi cúng miễu Bà đông lắm.

This mid-month, many people went to the "village shrine of the Lady" to give offerings.

Ngoài cửa có cái hồ Hoàn-gươm rộng lớn; giữa hồ lại có cái cù-lao nho-nhỏ có cất cái miễu Ngọc-sơn, cây cối im-rợp huyền vũ coi tươi-tốt. Nhà thiên hạ, phố-xá ở bao lấy miệng hồ.

1881, Trương Vĩnh Ký, Chuyến đi Bắc-kỳ năm Ất-hợi (1876):

Just outside the temple's gate is the large Lake Hoàn-gươm; in the middle of the lake there is an islet on which built a small temple called Ngọc-sơn, where vegetation grows lush under the eyes of the Black Tortoise. Houses and streets surround the lake.


viết chì

[viət̚˧˦ t͡ɕi˨˩]

[viək̚˦˧˥ t͡ɕɪj˦˩]

[viək̚˦˥ cɪj˨˩]

[jiək̚˦˥ cɪj˨˩]

(Southern Vietnam) a pencil (graphite writing-instrument)


thì tiết

[tʰi˨˩ tiət̚˧˦]

[tʰɪj˦˩ tiək̚˦˧˥]

[tʰɪj˨˩ tiək̚˦˥]

𡗶 Trời. n. Vầng cao lớn, bao phủ trên không; hình khum khum bao phủ trên cao.
 […]
 ― nắng. Trời hết mưa, nắng chói lói, thì tiết nóng nực.

𡗶 Trời. n. The great arch that encloses the atmosphere; the curved shape up high.
 […]
 ― nắng. It is rainless and [with] intense sunlight; hot weather.

(obsolete) Southern Vietnam form of thời tiết (“weather”)

Người ấy sẽ như cây trồng gần dòng nước, Sanh bông trái theo thì tiết, Lá nó cũng chẳng tàn héo; Mọi sự người làm đều sẽ thạnh vượng.

1926, Phan Khôi, transl., Thi Thiên, translation of Psalms:

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither -- whatever they do prospers.

(obsolete, Southern Vietnam, in the translation of the Bible) season; time (of the year)


bá vơ

[ʔɓaː˧˦ vəː˧˧]

[ʔɓaː˨˩˦ vəː˧˧]

[ʔɓaː˦˥ vəː˧˧]

[ʔɓaː˦˥ jəː˧˧]

bá (百, “hundred”) + vơ (“to grab, to take”). In modern Southern Vietnamese, the unetymological spelling bá dơ is often preferred due to contamination by dơ (“dirty”).

com

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial, of personality) irresponsible; unable to form one's own opinion


lọ nghẹ

[lɔ˧˨ʔ ŋɛ˧˨ʔ]

[lɔ˨˩ʔ ŋɛ˨˩ʔ]

[lɔ˨˩˨ ŋɛ˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) soot


hoa trà

[hwaː˧˧ t͡ɕaː˨˩]

[hwaː˧˧ ʈaː˦˩]

[waː˧˧ ʈaː˨˩]

hoa (花, “flower”) + trà (茶, “tea”), calque of Chinese 茶花 (cháhuā).


lăm le

(usually derogatory, Southern Vietnam) ready to; geared up to


hành chánh

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) Dated form of hành chính (“administrative”).


muối mè

[muəj˧˦ mɛ˨˩]

[muj˨˩˦ mɛ˦˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) A condiment made of salt and ground, roasted sesame or peanut, sprinkled on xôi and similar dishes.


huê

Sino-Vietnamese word from 花, variant of hoa. Compare doublets hòa & huề from 和.

1937, Dương Bá Trạc, "Vào hè (Into Summer)" in Nét mực tình (The Affectionate Ink Stroke)

The yellow (hue) fades; the color wanes; (I feel) dismayed for the flowers. / The rosy and colorful (petals) fall and drop; (I feel) sorry for the flowers.

Vàng phai, thắm nhạt ngán cho huê. / Hồng rơi thắm rụng tiếc cho huê.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, dated or obsolete) flower


đề-pa

[ʔɗe˨˩ ʔɓaː˧˧]

[ʔɗe˨˩ paː˧˧]

[ʔɗej˦˩ ʔɓaː˧˧]

[ʔɗej˦˩ paː˧˧]

[ʔɗej˨˩ ʔɓaː˧˧]

[ʔɗej˨˩ paː˧˧]

(Southern Vietnam, of a car engine) to set off


ảng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) a kind of water container


cầu sung vừa đủ xài

[kəw˨˩ sʊwŋ͡m˧˧ vɨə˨˩ ʔɗu˧˩ saːj˨˩]

[kəw˦˩ ʂʊwŋ͡m˧˧ vɨə˦˩ ʔɗʊw˧˨ saːj˦˩]

[kəw˦˩ sʊwŋ͡m˧˧ vɨə˦˩ ʔɗʊw˧˨ saːj˦˩]

[kəw˨˩ ʂʊwŋ͡m˧˧ vɨə˨˩ ʔɗʊw˨˩˦ saːj˨˩]

[kəw˨˩ sʊwŋ͡m˧˧ jɨə˨˩ ʔɗʊw˨˩˦ saːj˨˩]

Based on the words for five types of fruits: mãng cầu (“sugar apple”), sung (“fig”), dừa (“coconut”), đu đủ (“papaya”), xoài (“mango”)), with phono-semantic matching with sung (充) (as in sung túc) and xài (“to use, to spend”); roughly "having enough wealth for a comfortable life".

(Southern Vietnam, occult) to offer certain fruits during Tết as a way to wish for fortune


xáp

Trời nóng thấy mồ đừng có xáp xáp vô.

It's damn hot today, stop trying to get so close to me.

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to draw close; to come near


cà trật cà vuột

[kaː˨˩ t͡ɕət̚˧˨ʔ kaː˨˩ vuət̚˧˨ʔ]

[kaː˦˩ ʈək̚˨˩ʔ kaː˦˩ vuək̚˨˩ʔ]

[kaː˨˩ ʈək̚˨˩˨ kaː˨˩ vuək̚˨˩˨]

[kaː˨˩ ʈək̚˨˩˨ kaː˨˩ juək̚˨˩˨]

From cà- (“repetitive prefix”) + trật (“to miss”) + cà- + vuột (“to slip out”).

affix

Làm gì mà cà trật cà vuột vậy, để chỉ lại cho.

Man, that's not how you do it. Stand back, let me show you again.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) executed sloppily or without precision


giả đò

[zaː˧˩ ʔɗɔ˨˩]

[jaː˧˨ ʔɗɔ˦˩]

[jaː˨˩˦ ʔɗɔ˨˩]

giả đò làm như không biết

Bà Dursley lại còn giả đò như mình không có chị em nào hết […]

2017, J. K. Rowling, chapter 1, in Lý Lan, transl., Harry Potter Và Hòn Đá Phù Thủy [Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone], 29 edition, volume 1, Ho Chi Minh City: Nhà xuất bản Trẻ, →ISBN, →OCLC:

Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister […]


ngá ngởn

[ŋaː˧˦ ŋəːn˧˩]

[ŋaː˨˩˦ ŋəːŋ˧˨]

[ŋaː˦˥ ŋəːŋ˨˩˦]

Đi đứng ngá ngởn kiểu gì mà giờ té giập mặt rồi thấy chưa.

How careless you got to be at walking that you got yourself injured so bad after just a fall.

(Southern Vietnam) carelessly; without paying much attention or regard to one's surrounding


đầy nhóc

[ʔɗəj˨˩ ɲawk͡p̚˧˦]

[ʔɗəj˦˩ ɲawk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɗəj˨˩ ɲawk͡p̚˦˥]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) filled to the brim


bò vẽ

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ vɛ˦ˀ˥]

[ʔɓɔ˦˩ vɛ˧˨]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ vɛ˨˩˦]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ jɛ˨˩˦]

Element bò is a variant of vò (“wasp (obsolete)”); element vẽ'’s meaning is obscure.

Vespa affinis
Vespa affinis#Translingual

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) lesser banded hornet (Vespa affinis)


pháo bông

[faːw˧˦ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[faːw˨˩˦ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[faːw˦˥ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

pháo + bông, derived from pháo hoa with Sino-Vietnamese hoa replaced by native bông.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) fireworks


nón lưỡi trai

[nɔn˧˦ lɨəj˦ˀ˥ t͡ɕaːj˧˧]

[nɔŋ˦˧˥ lɨj˧˨ ʈaːj˧˧]

[nɔŋ˦˥ lɨj˨˩˦ ʈaːj˧˧]

(Southern Vietnam, uncommon) a cap with visor