o

(North Central Vietnam) paternal aunt, father's sister


o

O nớ rù quến ghê!

(North Central Vietnam) First, second, and third female personal pronoun


o

o du kích nhỏ

1966, Tố Hữu, “Tấm Ảnh [The Photograph]”; quoted in Trần Trung Hiếu (2023) “Gặp ‘O du kích nhỏ’ áp giải phi công Mỹ năm xưa [Meeting ‘the little guerrilla damsel’ who steered the American pilot in years past]”, in VietNamNet
O du kích nhỏ giương cao súng.
Thằng Mỹ lênh khênh bước cúi đầu.
The little guerrilla damsel holds her rifle high.

The tall American dude totters, his head hanging low.

2007, Lã Ngọc Tỉnh, “Dấu Ân Chiến Tranh [Marks of War]”; quoted in Trần Trung Hiếu (2023) “Gặp ‘O du kích nhỏ’ áp giải phi công Mỹ năm xưa [Meeting ‘the little guerrilla damsel’ who steered the American pilot in years past]”, in VietNamNet
Chiến binh bại trận ở Việt Nam
Bị O du kích bắt đầu hàng.
The soldier – defeated in Vietnam –

Was forced by the little guerrilla damsel to surrender.

(Thanh Hoá, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh) indicates a young adult woman


mi

眉 (CJK)
mày (alternative)
mầy (alternative)

From Proto-Vietic *miː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *miiʔ. This is the native form in the Central dialects, Northern and Southern dialects borrowed this neutral pronoun with added hostile connotation, probably due to their native mày/mầy.

(chiefly Central Vietnam, derogatory in other dialects) you (second person singular pronoun, referring to a peer or person held in low esteem)


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 Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) I; me


ban

Borrowed from French balle. Related to banh; see there for more details.


米

chữ Nôm form of mè (“(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sesame”)


hung

Chú ni giống con bọ hung!
Sao cháu lại giống con bọ hung được?

You bloke here look awfully like [this dear old] dad’s son!
How do I look like a dung beetle?

(Thanh Hoá, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, colloquial) very much; a lot


chin

bàn chin lớn


丈

(North Central Vietnam) paternal uncle-in-law, father's sister's husband


動

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

chữ Nôm form of đụng
to meet (unexpectedly); to encounter

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

chữ Nôm form of đụng
to marry (each other)


嗎

chữ Hán form of mửa (“(North Central Vietnam) to vomit”)


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”)


eng

eng ả tam


盎

chữ Nôm form of ang (Northern Vietnam)/ảng (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam)

(historical) a traditional instrument made from wood or bamboo, used to measure grain


ni

See này.
This is one of many cases in which monophthongs were not diphthongized in Central Vietnamese, compare mày vs. mi, chấy vs. chí, nước vs. nác.


ni

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 ()

these demonstratives might have been used to assert that something is visible and

or verifiable. They have been bleached quite thoroughly and currently are usually used like other distal demonstratives. The biggest trace of their evidentiality might be in their usage as final particles

còn những ba cái cầu nữa cơ mà! ()

From there to Hanoi, there're still three more bridges to cross!


con

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

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *kɔːn, from Proto-Austroasiatic *koan. Cognate with Muong Bi con, Thavung กอน, Mon ကွေန် (kon), Khmer កូន (koun), Bahnar kon, Khasi khun, Central Nicobarese kōan. Doublet of non (“young, juvenile”), which is from an infixed form of the root.
Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經, c. 12th cent.) as 昆 (MC kwon) (modern SV: côn). Attested in the Annan Jishi (安南即事, 13th century) as 乾 (MC kan) (modern SV: can).

(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)


la

bị vợ la

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


bang

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


tau

North Central Vietnam form of tao (“I/me”)


chi

From Proto-Vietic *ciː (“what”). Cognate with gì (the form affected by lenition) and Muong Bi chi.

Mi mần chi rứa?

Cuộc tình đến rồi đi. Buồn làm chi nhung nhớ làm gì.

(Can we date this quote?), “Tình đến rồi đi [Love Comes and Goes]”, performed by Thu Thủy:

Love comes and goes. Why be sad? Why be tormented by it?

(Central Vietnam, literary elsewhere) what; whatever


chi

Chi?

Làm vậy chi?

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) what for


nghe

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

From Proto-Vietic *ŋɛː. Cognate with Toum ŋɛː¹. Compare Chong [Kasong] tŋeː.
The sense related to smell has been attested since Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị (1895), a dictionary chiefly based on the Southern dialects.

Quái, sao cứ nghe mùi thum thủm?

Nhà ai vừa chín quả đầu. / Đã nghe gió thổi vườn sau thơm lừng.

Who has freshly ripe fruit? / Smelling the delicious aroma carried by the wind.

(colloquial, Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to smell


nghe

Về nhớ làm bài nghe!

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

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


hen

Cognate with Kuy [Salavan] hɛːn ("to cough").


ló

North Central Vietnam form of lúa (“rice”)


gai

cái (classifier)
荄 (CJK)
核 (CJK)
𣘃 (CJK)
cây (classifier)
quả (classifier)
trái (classifier)
cây (alternative)

From Proto-Vietic *t-keː. Cognate with Arem takeː ("horn"), Proto-Bahnaric *ʔəkɛː (whence Bahnar ake/hơke) and Proto-Katuic *kii, *ʔakii (whence Pacoh ki (“horn on nose, single tusk of rhino”)).


bu

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


su

nác su

North Central Vietnam form of sâu (“deep”)


le

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


beo

con (classifier)
豹 (CJK)
𤣄 (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) leopard, jaguar or cheetah


va

Attested in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651) as ua, va.
Compare Khmer វា (viə).

Người ấy trông chừng cũng đã nhiều tuổi, thấy tôi đến gần, vẫn nằm vắt chân chéo khoeo, kéo một hơi thẳng, không thở tị tí khói nào. Tôi biết ngay va là tay lão luyện.

1919, Phạm Duy Tốn, “Nước đời lắm nỗi”, in Tạp chí Nam Phong:

He seemed like a fairly old guy; as he saw me approaching, he kept lying still with his legs crossed, took a deep hit yet not letting out a whit of smoke. I knew right away that he's a veteran [smoker].

- Ông Sáng mới mua con Inova mới tinh.
- Va thì thiếu chi tiền.

2014, Cao Xuân Hải, “Đại từ nhân xưng trong tiếng Thanh Hóa”, in Ngôn ngữ & Đời sống, volume 227, number 9:

- Mr. Sáng has just bought a brand new Inova.
- Not surprising, he doesn't seem to run out of money.

(certain regions of Thanh Hoá, obsolete or literary in other dialects) he/him; she/her; they/them (singular third person pronoun)


tra

The initial is from the distinct North Central shift *C-r- > *C-l-. The tone is also A1 (ngang), not A2 (huyền) like in the mainstream dialects.

North Central Vietnam form of già (“old”)


moi

(Central Vietnam) kind of small shrimp of the genus Acetes


tam

Hà Tĩnh province
Quảng Bình province
Quảng Trị province

From Proto-Vietic *k-saːm. Cognate with Arem katʰæːm, Thavung saːm¹, Kuy sɛːm, Khmu [Cuang] hɛːm.
Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 三 (MC sam) (modern SV: tam).
The term was probably already archaic in Northern Old Vietnamese by the time it started to be written down and was only attested in the compound 󰞿三 (anh tam, “elder brother and younger sibling”). However, it continues to be used until present days (although also seems to be limited in certain compounds) in the conservative North Central dialects of Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị.

𡶀廊盈𪀄部伴
𩄲客次月󰞿三

15th century, Nguyễn Trãi, “述興 Thuật hứng 19”, in Quốc âm thi tập (國音詩集):

Mountains as neighbors, birds are friends,
Clouds as guests, the moon is my kin.

Núi láng diềng, chim bầu bạn,
Mây khách thứa, nguyệt anh tam.

(Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, obsolete in all other dialects) younger sibling


dà

From Proto-Vietic *ɲaː (“house”). See nhà for more.

- Ông ở dà (nhà) khôông đi chơi mô à?
- Biết chơi chiếc với ai, đèng (đành) ở dà rứa thôi rọ!

2010, Nguyễn Tú, Văn hóa dân gian Quảng Bình [Folkloric culture of Quảng Bình], volume 1, Hanoi: National University of Hanoi Publisher, page 140:

- Are you just gonna stay at home and not hang out anywhere?
- I can't think of anyone to hang out with, so i guess i'm just gonna stay at home!

North Central Vietnam form of nhà (“house; home”)


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)


lai

(Central Vietnam) to carry (someone) on one's bicycle or motorbike pillion; to give someone a lift on the bicycle or motorbike


ri

Part of the r-series of demonstratives, along with rày, rứa, ru, sao.

Ao ni su ri.


coi

head

瑰, 䁛, 𥋳, 𫀢, 𩲡

vi-verb

瑰, 䁛, 𥋳, 𫀢, 𩲡

Cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] kɐːj².
Probably related to noi through an infixed proto-form.

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'?


a

Bây giờ mới đi a?

Dừ mì đi a?

Thật thế a?

Rứa a?

(North Central Vietnam, otherwise rare) Used to indicate a question that is asked out of perplexity or sarcasm.


mun

From Proto-Vietic *ɓuːɲ (“ashes”). Cognate with Muong bunh.


bú

See vú. This form was unaffected by lenition after the loss of prefixal *k-.

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

North Central Vietnam form of vú (“breast”)


khu

Compare Chinese 尻 (OC *[k]ʰˤu) (B-S) (SV: khào).

(North Central Vietnam) buttock, ass/arse


mão

(Central Vietnam) alternative form of mạo (“headwear, hat, cap”)


bón

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) constipated


tru

North Central Vietnam form of trâu (“water buffalo”)


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

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, “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


hè

Đi ăn hè!

(Nghệ Tĩnh) Indicates volition or encouragement: let's; come on

Bựa ni lạnh hè?


bù

(North Central Vietnam) alternative form of bầu (“gourd”)


chè

Tai Dam: ꪵꪋ

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 茶 (“tea”, SV: trà). Doublet of lá and trà.

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) tea (plant)

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) tea (drink)


chén

cái (classifier)
𱔩 (CJK)
盞 (CJK)
𥗜 (CJK)
𡃹 (CJK)

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) rice bowl (small bowl from which rice is typically eaten)


chí

con (classifier)
蛭 (CJK)
chấy (alternative)

From Proto-Vietic *ciːʔ, from Proto-Austroasiatic *ciʔ (“head louse”). 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


cùn

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 裙 (SV: quần).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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

(in certain dialects of North Central Vietnam, clothing) pants; trousers; shorts


dí

Dí theo nó mau lên!

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to chase


lài

vi-noun

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

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

trà lài

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) jasmine


lè

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of nhè (“to push (usually food) out of one's mouth”)


lóng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) node, phalanx


lùn

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


rào

(North Central Vietnam) small river, creek, stream


rú

head

rú • (柘, 󰓵, 𧀓)

vi-noun

rú • (柘, 󰓵, 𧀓)

From Proto-Vietic *b-ruːʔ (“forest, mountain”), from Proto-Austroasiatic *bruʔ. Cognate with Muong Bi khũ (“stone, rock; mountain”), Tho [Cuoi Cham] pʰraw³ ("mountain, forest") and Chut [Rục] bruː³ ("forest").

inh

rú Hống

Hống mountains (the demotic name (tên Nôm) of the Hồng Lĩnh mountains)


rún

Attested as ルン (run), glossed 臍 (“navel”), in the Annan Hyōryūki (安南漂流記, 1767), recorded the South Central dialect of Hội An.

Chuồn chuồn cắn rún biết bơi.

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

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


xí

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


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


ô

head

ô • (𢄓, 捂, 摀)

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
𢄓 (CJK)
捂 (CJK)
摀 (CJK)

giương ô

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) umbrella


味精

monosodium glutamate
monosodium glutamate

(Central Vietnam) chữ Hán form of vị tinh (“monosodium glutamate”)


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).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sesame


thơm

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
𦹳 (CJK)

(Southern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) pineapple


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)


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


ảnh

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

vi-etym-hoi

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam, certain regions of Thanh Hoá) he; him (man of equal or slightly greater social status)


heo

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 豪 (SV: hào)

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


vè

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


nhúm

North Central Vietnam form of nhóm (“to make a fire, to start a fire”)


dưa leo

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

[zɨə˧˧ lɛw˧˧]

[jɨə˧˧ lɛw˧˧]

[jɨə˧˧ lɛw˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) cucumber


muỗng canh

[muəŋ˦ˀ˥ kajŋ̟˧˧]

[muəŋ˧˨ kɛɲ˧˧]

[muəŋ˨˩˦ kan˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) tablespoon


xắt

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

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, 芣)

cây (classifier)
𥟼 (CJK)
芣 (CJK)
báp (alternative)

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


cổ

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

vi-etym-hoi

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

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam, certain regions of Thanh Hoá) she/her, that young adult woman


lúa

cây (classifier)
穭 (CJK)
𧀦 (CJK)
魯 (CJK)
ló (alternative)

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *ʔa-lɔʔ (“paddy rice”) (Ferlus, 2007). Cognate with Muong Bi lõ and 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-lɔʔ 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)


banh

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


Hồ Chí Minh

[ho˨˩ t͡ɕi˧˦ mïŋ˧˧]

[how˦˩ t͡ɕɪj˨˩˦ mɨn˧˧]

胡 (a common Vietnamese surname, SV: Hồ) + 志明 (“enlightened will”, SV: Chí Minh). It is the most well-known pseudonym of Nguyễn Sinh Cung (1890-1969), the founder and first president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

com

Tôi sống ở Hồ Chí Minh.

Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh#Vietnamese

(usually Northern Vietnam and Central Vietnam) short for Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (“Ho Chi Minh City”)


tóm

From Proto-Vietic *sɔːmʔ. Cognate with Liha sɔːm³, Thavung Ɂasɔ̰̂ːm ("thin, slim"). There is also the variant *ɟɔːmʔ, represented by forms like Arem acuəmʔ, Kha Phong cɔːm⁴.


bữa

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Bữa nay đi đâu đây bay?


để

Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 巴⿱低 (composed of 巴 (MC pae) and 低 (MC tej), SV: ba đê).

để vợ

(North Central Vietnam, archaic in other dialects) to abandon


nốc

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
nôốc (alternative)

From Proto-Vietic *ɗoːk (“boat”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɗuuk ~ *ɗuk (“boat; canoe”). Cognate with Ngeq tṳuk, Khmer ទូក (tuuk), Halang dùk.

inh

[nəwk͡p̚˦˧˥]


cân

North Central Vietnam form of cây (“tree”)


dám

From Proto-Vietic *jaːmʔ ~ ɲaːmʔ, from Proto-Austroasiatic *jaːmʔ. Cognate with Khmer យំ (yum).

(in certain regions of Nghệ An) to weep, to cry


hói

con (classifier)
洄 (CJK)
潰 (CJK)
澮 (CJK)

(North Central Vietnam) creek; stream; small river


mân

(North Central Vietnam) alternative form of mần (to do, to work)


béo

Central Vietnam form of véo (“to pinch”)


ả

head

ả • (妸, 婭, 阿)

vi-noun

ả • (妸, 婭, 阿)


ả

head

ả • (妸, 婭, 阿)

vi-noun

ả • (妸, 婭, 阿)

(familiar or endearing in Central Vietnam, derogatory in other dialects) she/her


ẹ

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) dirty


ẻ

(verb): See ỉa. Diphthongization did not take place, thus the conservative monophthong was preserved.
This is originally a regional form from the North Central region, but now can be seen used by speakers of other dialects on the Internet as a euphemism.

North Central Vietnam form of ỉa (“to take a poop, to shit”)


cắn

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


răng

Răng mà mi mần được hay rứa?

Răng ni trời tún òm ri?

Mi định mần răng?

Không có răng mô.


bẩn

𪷪 (CJK)
𬇸 (CJK)
𬉂 (CJK)
bửn (alternative)

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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)


mướp đắng

[mɨəp̚˧˦ ʔɗaŋ˧˦]

[mɨəp̚˦˧˥ ʔɗaŋ˦˧˥]

[mɨəp̚˦˥ ʔɗaŋ˦˥]

From mướp (“luffa”) + đắng (“bitter”), probably calque of Chinese 苦瓜 (khổ qua).

cal

<i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">khổ qua</i>

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) bitter melon; bitter gourd


dưa chuột

[zɨə˧˧ t͡ɕuət̚˧˨ʔ]

[jɨə˧˧ t͡ɕuək̚˨˩ʔ]

[jɨə˧˧ cuək̚˨˩˨]

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) cucumber


dạ

head

dạ • (㖡, 也, 唯, 啫)

vi-particle

dạ • (㖡, 也, 唯, 啫)

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giạ (Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam)

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) yes (answers a question)


dạ

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

vâng

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


gương

vi-noun

(classifier cái, chiếc, tấm) gương • (𦎛, 𠻁, 𲊚, 󱟓)

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
tấm (classifier)
𦎛 (CJK)
𠻁 (CJK)
𲊚 (CJK)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 鏡 (“mirror”, SV: kính). Doublet of kính.
Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 𦎛, composed of 司 (MC si) + 姜 (MC kjang) (modern SV: tư and khương).

der

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


sói

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) synonym of hói


tê

Tui muốn cái tê.


tô

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) large bowl


nghiền

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


chắc

Tụi bay cứ đánh chắc đập chắc hoài!

(Central Vietnam) each other, one another

Chắc hấn đi học à?


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)

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *ɓak, from Proto-Austroasiatic *ɓakʔ (“to carry on back/slung”). Cognate with Muong bắc, Chut [Sách] kəbak⁷, Mang ɓak⁷, Eastern Bru ʔa.bak, Bahnar tơʼbăk, Khmer ពាក់ (pĕək).

inh

(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


mắc

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) expensive; dear


bắp rang

[ʔɓap̚˧˦ zaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓap̚˦˧˥ ʐaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓap̚˦˥ ɹaːŋ˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) popcorn


hớt

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


bổ

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *buuh. Cognate with Khmer ពុះ (puh).

(North Central Vietnam) to trip and fall onto the ground


quất

Sino-Vietnamese word from 橘 (“orange, tangerine”).

vi-etym-sino

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) calamansi (Citrus x microcarpa)


bọ

Chú ni giống con bọ hung!

You bloke here awfully like [this dear old] dad’s son!


túi

From Proto-Vietic *suːlʔ (“dark, evening”).

(colloquial) Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of tối (“dark”)


túi

(colloquial) Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of tối (“late evening”)


hùm

Compare Pacoh húm (“growl, roar of tiger”).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 熊 (SV: hùng)

Hùm thiêng Yên Thế

Numinous Tiger of Yên Thế (epithet of anti-French resistant leader Hoàng Hoa Thám)

Chàng lẩm bẩm một mình:
– Hùm cọp ở đâu? Không khéo người lại nhát người, sợ bóng sợ vía, rồi chẳng ai dám lên đồi cũng nên!…

1992, “Võ Tòng giết hổ trên đồi Cảnh Dương [Wu Song Killed a Tiger on Jinggang Ridge]”, in Hoàng Nguyên Cát, Chu Huy, compilers, Truyện đọc 4 [Tales to Read 4], Nhà xuất bản Giáo Dục, page 85:

He muttered to himself:
– Where's the tiger? Maybe cowardly people scare each other, then no one dares set foot on this hill!…

Hỡi oai linh, cảnh nước non hùng vĩ!
Là nơi giống hùm thiêng ta ngự trị.

1935, Thế Lữ, “Nhớ rừng (Lời con hổ ở vườn Bách thú) [Longing for the Jungle (As Told by a Zoo Tiger)]”, in Mấy vần thơ [Some Poetry Rhymes]:

O the proud spirit, the great scenery!
The place my sacred tiger kind rules.

Panthera tigris
Panthera tigris#Translingual

(Central Vietnam or literary) tiger (Panthera tigris)


chạc

[t͡ɕaːk̚˧˨ʔ]

[t͡ɕaːk̚˨˩ʔ]

From Proto-Vietic *ɟaːk. Compare Proto-Tai *ɟɤːk (“rope; cord”) (whence Thai เชือก (chʉ̂ʉak), Lao ເຊືອກ (sư̄ak)).


nhởi

đi nhởi

(North Central Vietnam, intransitive) to play


muộn

From Old Chinese 晚 (OC *m[o][r]ʔ) (B-S) (SV: vãn).

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(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) late; tardy


ngó

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


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”)


đùng

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


rầy

(North Central Vietnam) ashamed, embarrassed


rầy

(Central Vietnam) alternative form of rày


trà

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


hơ

Hơ? Mi mần chi rứa?


áp

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

áp chót

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


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)


cắc kè

[kak̚˧˦ kɛ˨˩]

[kak̚˦˧˥ kɛ˦˩]

[kak̚˦˥ kɛ˨˩]

Onomatopoeic. Compare cắc ké and also English gecko.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) gecko


sáp

From Proto-Vietic *k-raːp (“wax”), probably from Old Chinese 蠟 (OC *k.rˤap) (B-S) (SV: lạp). However, as the Chinese word was not attested until the 2nd to 3rd century CE, the loan direction could be from Proto-Vietic into Old Chinese instead. In that case, the Proto-Vietic could be from another Sino-Tibetan source; compare Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-krjap (“bug; ant; insect (lac); cochineal”), whence Burmese ချိပ် (hkyip, “lac”), Proto-Loloish *C-gripᴸ (“lac; pine”), Jingpho krep (“bedbug”).


ác

From Proto-Vietic *kr-ʔaːk (“crow”), from Proto-Austroasiatic *kʔaːkʔ (“crow; to caw”). Doublet of ác là and bồ các. Sense 3 is probably from the association of the image of crows at dawn with the Sun at dawn.

inh

1870, Lê Ngô Cát & Phạm Đình Toái, Đại Nam Quốc Sử Diễn Ca (National History of the Great South in Verse), "Sự loạn lạc ở Bắc hà (The Chaos North of the River (Gianh))"
Lòng người đâu chẳng loạn ly;
Ếch kêu, ác họp thiếu gì gần xa!
Everywhere, the chaos parted the folk's hearts;

Near and far, there was no lack of croaking frogs and gathering crows.

(North Central Vietnam, archaic or literary in other dialects) crow


bệnh

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sick; ill


xui

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 衰 (SV: suy), probably via Teochew 衰 (suê¹, “bad luck”).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) unlucky


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”)


bén

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(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sharp


hắn

罕 (CJK)
漢 (CJK)
釁 (CJK)
hấn (alternative)

From Proto-Vietic *hanʔ, from Proto-Austroasiatic *ʔan. Cognate with Car Nicobarese an (“he, she, it”), Pacoh án (“relative pronoun, that, which”).
Insertion of initial *h in Vietic can also be seen in *tŋ-ʔaːm (“jaw”) (> Vietnamese hàm, Late Vietic), *huːɲ (“to kiss”) (> Vietnamese hôn), *heːt (“finished”) (> Vietnamese hết), *haːr (“two”) (> Vietnamese hai), *hɔːŋʔ (“river, brook”), *haːŋʔ (“to open (mouth)”).

cog

Đi kêu hắn về cho tau!

Tụi hắn cứ đánh chắc hoài!

Those idiots keep fighting again and again!

(archaic as a neutral pronoun in Northern and Southern dialects, familiar or informal in Central Vietnam) he/him; she/her


ún

đứa (classifier)
thằng (classifier)
con (classifier)

(certain lects of Thanh Hoá) younger sibling


cố

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) great-grandparent


địt

head

địt • (𨕀, 𨗵, 𬇓)

vi-verb

địt • (𨕀, 𨗵, 𬇓)

From Proto-Vietic *diːt ~ *tiːt, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kt₁iit (“posterior; to break wind”). Doublet of đít (“arse”).

inh

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam, vulgar, colloquial) to fuck

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, informal) to fart


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


cậu

From Proto-Vietic *guːʔ, from Old Chinese 舅 (OC *[ɡ](r)uʔ) (B-S) (SV: cữu).


quẹo

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


vô

head

vô • (無, 𱍺, 𠓺)

vi-verb

vô • (無, 𱍺, 𠓺)

Undiphthongized equivalent of Northern vào.
The usage of vào (especially in writing) by speakers of Central-Southern dialects can be attributed 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

head

vô • (無, 𱍺, 𠓺)

vi-particle

vô • (無, 𱍺, 𠓺)

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


mô

From Proto-Vietic *-moː.
Attested as イモヲ (modernized kana spelling イモォ (i mō)), i.e. đi mô (“go where”), glossed 何処 (“where”), in the Annan Hyōryūki (安南漂流記, 1767), recorded the South Central dialect of Hội An.

Mi đi mô về rứa?

Chơ đi mô rồi cũng nhớ về Hà Tĩnh.

Wherever I go, I always miss my hometown Hà Tĩnh.

Cơm ca với hủ tíu, mi ưng ăn món mô?

Chicken rice with hu tiu, which one do you like to eat?


mô

Hắn có biết mô.

Tau có ăn mô mà biết.

I didn't eat it, why would I know how it tastes?


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


đầm

North Central Vietnam form of dầm (“to soak”)


mợ

From Old Chinese 姆 (OC *məʔ) (B-S) (SV: mỗ).

(Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh) paternal aunt-in-law, father's younger brother's wife

(dialectal, Central Vietnam) mother; mom


xế

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, slang) wheeled vehicle


bật lửa

[ʔɓət̚˧˨ʔ lɨə˧˩]

[ʔɓək̚˨˩ʔ lɨə˧˨]

[ʔɓək̚˨˩˨ lɨə˨˩˦]

bật (“to snap, switch on”) + lửa (“fire”).

com

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) lighter


mét

(North Central Vietnam) a kind of bamboo


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


la-va-bô

[laː˧˧ vaː˧˧ ʔɓo˧˧]

[laː˧˧ vaː˧˧ ʔɓow˧˧]

[laː˧˧ vaː˧˧ ʔɓow˧˧]

[laː˧˧ jaː˧˧ ʔɓow˧˧]


can chi

[kaːn˧˧ t͡ɕi˧˧]

[kaːŋ˧˧ t͡ɕɪj˧˧]

[kaːŋ˧˧ cɪj˧˧]

can (“related, bothering”) + chi (“what”).

(North Central Vietnam) It doesn't matter! It's no big deal!


tông

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


hoành thánh

[hwajŋ̟˨˩ tʰajŋ̟˧˦]

[hwɛɲ˦˩ tʰɛɲ˦˧˥]

From Cantonese 雲吞 /云吞 (wan⁴ tan¹) or Cantonese 餛飩 /馄饨 (wan⁴ tan¹).

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) wonton


xe đò

[sɛ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˨˩]

[sɛ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˦˩]

[sɛ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˨˩]

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

compound

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) coach (long-distance bus)


ôông

North Central Vietnam form of ông; a grandfather or an old man


ôông

Ôông khỏi lo! Chừ miềng đang phát triển thêm nghề phụ. Ôông biết đan lát, ôông lên mần tổ nghề phụ.

1972, Mai Ngữ, Dòng sông phía trước, page 196:

Don't worry! You're picking up a second trade now. You know how to knit, you're a master at the second trade.

1944: Nguyễn Tuân, "Một truyện không nên đọc vào lúc giao thừa", Trung Bắc Chủ Nhật, 23 January 1944 (Tết issue), in Truyện không nên đọc vào lúc giao thừa (2003), Lưu Minh Sơn ed., Văn học Publishing House, p. 481 http://ttvnol.com/threads/mot-truyen-khong-nen-doc-vao-luc-giao-thua-nguyen-tuan.80475///books.google.com/books?id=AnBkAAAAMAAJ
Ôông phà tối với tôi tử tế quá.

North Central Vietnam form of ông; you; he; him (refers to a man of middle age and above)


trượng

(North Central Vietnam) paternal uncle-in-law, father's sister's husband


thúi

退 (CJK)
thối (alternative)
thún (alternative)

có mùi thúi

Ê mùi gì mà thúi dữ vậy bây?

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)


voọc

From Proto-Vietic *vɔːk. This appears to be an "internal borrowing" from the Nghệ An/Hà Tĩnh dialects which are known for retaining the old rhymes /*ɔːk/, /*ɔːŋ/, /*oːk/, /*oːŋ/, as these rhymes have evolved into diphthongized forms in most other dialects. Compare Khmer វក (vɔɔk, “Year of the Monkey”).
See also dộc, a synonym, which is now much less used than voọc.


bể

head

bể • (𣷭, 波, 𤅶)

vi-noun

bể • (𣷭, 波, 𤅶)

desc

→ Tai Dam: ꪙꪾ꫁ꪹꪚꪸ꫁

→ Tai Dam: ꪙꪾ꫁ꪹꪚꪸ꫁

From Proto-Vietic *peh ~ *pes.
Compare also Malay tasik (“lake”) for the semantic relationship.

(archaic in mainstream Vietnamese dialects, regular usage in many dialects of North Central Vietnam) sea, ocean


ngài

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *ŋaːj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *[m]ŋaaj (“human being; person”). Cognate with Muong ngài. Doublet of người and ngươi.

inh

Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh form of người (“human”)


nác

From Proto-Vietic *ɗaːk (“water”), from Proto-Austroasiatic *ɗaːkˀ.

North Central Vietnam form of nước (“water”)


mạ

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


thạch sùng

con (classifier)
thạch thùng (alternative)

[tʰajk̟̚˧˨ʔ sʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

[tʰat̚˨˩ʔ ʂʊwŋ͡m˦˩]

[tʰat̚˨˩ʔ sʊwŋ͡m˦˩]

[tʰat̚˨˩˨ ʂʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

[tʰat̚˨˩˨ sʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 石崇, from Chinese 石崇 (Shí Chóng), a character from a folktale who died, turned into a house gecko and always tsked over his loss of fortune (which was likened to the way house geckos cry), and was based on a historical figure of the Jin dynasty.

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) common house gecko


ổng

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root ông in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects 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.

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam, certain regions of Thanh Hoá) he; him (older or respected man)


bả

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

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam, certain regions of Thanh Hoá) she; her (woman of higher social status)


trỏng

[t͡ɕawŋ͡m˧˩]

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

Hang tối om à, đừng có vô trỏng!

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

(Southern Vietnam, certain topolects of Thanh Hoá) in there; inside that place


cấy

From Proto-Vietic *-keːʔ (“woman; female”); compare gấy.

North Central Vietnam form of cái (“female”)


gấy

North Central form with different path of diphthongization of mainstream gái.
As with nhôông (“husband”), originally just meant "man, male", gấy/cấy originally (and still) meant just "woman, female".

North Central Vietnam form of gái (“girls; female”)


khái

From Proto-Vietic *k-haːlʔ / *kʰaːlʔ, from Proto-Austroasiatic *kla(ː)ʔ. Cognate with Khmer ខ្លា (khlaa), Bahnar kla, Khasi khla, Mon ကၠ. Doublet of hổ.
Compare also Khmer ខាល (khaal, “Year of the Tiger”), loaned from an unidentified Vietic source.

(North Central Vietnam) tiger (The mammal Panthera tigris)


trốc

head

祿, 築, 𫠼, 𩠸, 𬳕

vi-noun

祿, 築, 𫠼, 𩠸, 𬳕

cái (classifier)
祿 (CJK)
築 (CJK)
𫠼 (CJK)
𩠸 (CJK)
𬳕 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *k-loːk. Cognate with Muong tlốc. Compare trọc lốc.
The distribution of this word seems to be from southern Thanh Hoá, throughout the four North Central provinces south of Thanh Hoá, and some rural dialects of Huế.
Displaced by đầu in the major dialects.

[t͡ɕəwk͡p̚˧˦]

[ʈəwk͡p̚˦˧˥]


bậu

Cognate with Muong Bi pẫu. Compare also Tày pậu.
Attested as Middle Vietnamese bậu (“friend”) in Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

(endearing, Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) you, my wife


choa

(regular usage in North Central Vietnam, humorous in other dialects) we; us (exclusive)


nỏ

From Proto-Vietic *-nɔh.
This word is attested in the poems of Nguyễn Trãi, who was a native of Northern Vietnam, showing that it used to have wider distribution in the past.

Tau nỏ biết.

固𧵑恒朱吏固通
積饒𡥵𡥙怒󱪬

15th century, Nguyễn Trãi, “寶鏡警戒 Bảo kính cảnh giới 3”, in Quốc âm thi tập (國音詩集):

"Having wealth is everything", it is often thought,
Accumulate them but the progeny just keep squandering (lit. do not look after them).

Có của hằng cho lại có thông,
Tích nhiều con cháu nỏ trông.


tủ

(Central Vietnam) to cover (with); to overlay (with)


môi

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *kɓooj; cognate with Khmer បោយ (baoy).


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


đằm

(Central Vietnam) correct; right; on the mark


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


từng

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


bận

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


ót

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, anatomy) nape


ốm

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) ill; sick


cồn

(certain North Central Vietnam varieties) mountain

(North Central Vietnam) graveyard; cemetery


khuyết

[kʰwiək̚˦˧˥]

(Central Vietnam) kind of small shrimp in the genus Acetes


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

còn những ba cái cầu nữa cơ mà! ()

From there to Hanoi, there're still three more bridges to cross!


mấn

From Proto-Vietic *ɓəːlʔ. Cognate with Toum bʌ:l³.


nuốt

(North Central Vietnam) kind of jellyfish (prob. Catostylus sp.)


máy rửa chén

[maj˧˦ zɨə˧˩ t͡ɕɛn˧˦]

[maj˨˩˦ ʐɨə˧˨ t͡ɕɛŋ˦˧˥]

[ma(ː)j˦˥ ɹɨə˨˩˦ cɛŋ˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) dishwasher (machine)


lộ

Mi giừ ở lộ mô?

(North Central Vietnam and xiangqi) road; street; path; way


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


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


trơn

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

hết trơn

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


mửa

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

From Proto-Vietic *ɓah. Cognate with Muong Bi bá.


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


găng tay

[ɣaŋ˧˧ taj˧˧]

[ɣaŋ˧˧ taj˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) glove


tiêm

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) to inject (medicine), to give a shot


hả

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


con nít

[kɔŋ˧˧ nit̚˦˧˥]

[kɔŋ˧˧ nɨt̚˦˥]

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

inh+

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


ròm

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) skinny


mủ

From Proto-Vietic *ɓuh, from Proto-Austroasiatic *ɓuːh (“to bubble, to froth”). 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) ticklish (when stroked)

Nói cấy mà cụng nhột.

I have only said so much and you are startling with guilt already.

(Central Vietnam) to have a guilty start


nha

Bye nha!

Đi đường nhớ cẩn thận nha.

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


ngái

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *s-ŋaːjʔ, from Proto-Austroasiatic *cŋaːjʔ (“distant”). Cognate with Chut [Rục] ciŋaːj³, Thavung səŋə̀aj⁴, Khmer ឆ្ងាយ (chngaay) and Halang hơ'ngai.

(North Central Vietnam, archaic in other dialects) far


nhớp

From Proto-Vietic *-ɲəːp (“dirty”); cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] ɲəːp⁷ and Chut [Rục] ɲə́ːp. Doublet of dớp.
Compare also Proto-Katuic *ɲəəp (“bad”), whence Pacoh nnhôp (“bad, ugly”) and Western Katu ɲəːp ("dirty, bad").


mần

From Proto-Vietic *mən. Cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] mʌn².

làm

to do, to make, to work, to bear the responsibilities of

Mần chi rứa?

(Central Vietnam, rare in Mekong Delta) to do

(Central Vietnam, rare in Mekong Delta) to make

đi mần

(Central Vietnam) to bear the responsibilities of


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


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.
A cognate, but not a descendant, of attested Northern Middle Vietnamese form blun, whence modern Northern form giun, now also the common written form. The unattested Central-Southern Middle Vietnamese form can be projected back as *blùn.
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 homophonous pair of false cognates.

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


côốc

North Central Vietnam form of gốc (“foot of a tree”)


rớt

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


mụ

From Proto-Vietic *muːʔ. Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 姥 (SV: mỗ).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Mụ cào ló trửa cươi.

Grandma is raking the rice-seeds in the yard.

(North Central Vietnam, familiar) grandmother


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


lọ

From Proto-Vietic *m-lɔːʔ. See nhọ for more.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) soot


rờ

head

rờ • (疎) (diminutive reduplication rờ rờ)

疎 (CJK)
rờ rờ (diminutive reduplication)

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to touch

Đi có tí mà làm gì rờ dữ vậy?

You sure took your sweet time to simply get here.

take one's sweet time
take one's sweet time

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial, often in reduplicated form) to take one's sweet time


khảy

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


lội

󲈄, 洡, 𣷮, 𱧎, 𤂬, 耒, 𨀤, 𨇒, 汭, 󱧐

vi-verb

󲈄, 洡, 𣷮, 𱧎, 𤂬, 耒, 𨀤, 𨇒, 汭, 󱧐

洡 (CJK)
𣷮 (CJK)
𱧎 (CJK)
𤂬 (CJK)
耒 (CJK)
𨀤 (CJK)
𨇒 (CJK)
汭 (CJK)

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *loːjʔ (“to wade”), Proto-Austroasiatic *loːjʔ ~ *lɔːjʔ (“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


sưa

North Central Vietnam form of thưa (“sparse”)


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


lủng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) having a hole; perforated


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”).

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


đình

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) village shrine


nhác

(Central Vietnam, archaic in other dialects) lazy; idle


ói

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *ʔoːlʔ (“to choke while eating”), from Proto-Austroasiatic *ʔoːlʔ ~ *ʔuəl (“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


bòn bon

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

[ʔɓɔn˨˩ ʔɓɔn˧˧]

[ʔɓɔŋ˦˩ ʔɓɔŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓɔŋ˨˩ ʔɓɔŋ˧˧]

According to a folk etymology recorded by Bùi Minh Đức in his work Từ điển tiếng Huế (2001), the fruit name was adapted from French bon (“good; tasty”):
2001, Bùi Minh Đức, Từ điển tiếng Huế [Dictionary of Hue lects], page 33:
Tương truyền vua Gia Long đi lánh nạn gặp lúc đói, phải ăn trái cây này trong rừng. Vua ăn thử thấy ngon, chuyền cho người Pháp tùy tùng vài trái. Ăn thấy ngon, người Pháp thốt lên "bon, bon" tức "ngon" và từ đó về sau, người dân gọi là trái "bòn bon", mặc dầu vua đã đặt tên là "trái Nam Trân".
It was said that, one-time while fleeing [from the Tây Sơn troops], Emperor Gia Long was so starving that he had no other choices but to eat this fruit in the forest. Finding its taste pleasing, he gave his French entourage some to try. After tasting them, the French remarked "bon, bon" [good, good], hence the name "bòn bon" used by the locals, even though the Emperor had decided to name the fruit "Nam Trân".

quote-book

Từ điển tiếng Huế

It was said that, one-time while fleeing 􂀿from the Tây Sơn troops􂁀, Emperor Gia Long was so starving that he had no other choices but to eat this fruit in the forest. Finding its taste pleasing, he gave his French entourage some to try. After tasting them, the French remarked "bon, bon" 􂀿good, good􂁀, hence the name "bòn bon" used by the locals, even though the Emperor had decided to name the fruit "Nam Trân".

Lansium domesticum
Lansium domesticum#Translingual

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) langsat (Lansium domesticum)


đàng

Lên đàng, ta người Việt Nam. / Nhìn tương lai huy hoàng, Đoàn ta bước lên đàng, cùng hiên ngang hát vang !

1944, Lưu Hữu Phước, “Lên đàng [Hit the Road]”:

Hit the road, we people of Vietnam. / Looking forward to a bright future, our Union hits the road, and proudly sings on!

(archaic or dialectal, Central Vietnam) alternative form of đường (“road”)

(dialectal, Central Vietnam) alternative form of đằng (“direction; way”)


tật bệnh

[tət̚˧˨ʔ ʔɓəjŋ̟˧˨ʔ]

[tək̚˨˩ʔ ʔɓen˨˩ʔ]

[tək̚˨˩˨ ʔɓəːn˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam) Tật bệnh chi/gì mà mi/mày lại...?

Why the hell/Why in the world would you...?


bèo tây

[ʔɓɛw˨˩ təj˧˧]

[ʔɓɛw˦˩ təj˧˧]

[ʔɓɛw˨˩ təj˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) water hyacinth


nôn

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

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


miểng

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of mảnh (“fragment; shard”)


nịt

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

(Southern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) belt


cắm

From Proto-Vietic *gamʔ ~ kamʔ (“to bite”). Cognate with mainstream Vietnamese gặm (“to gnaw”), Arem kɐ̀mˀ ("to bite").


vừng

(uncommon) Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of vầng


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


ngoẹo

(Central Vietnam, Northern Vietnam) to turn; to make a turn


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


nhủ

𣜻 (CJK)
喻 (CJK)
啂 (CJK)
dủ (alternative)

(North Central Vietnam) to tell (an idea)


ruốc

vi-noun

(classifier con (“Acetes shrimps, Octopus dollfusi”)) ruốc • (𩽖)

Perhaps from Proto-Mon-Khmer *prhuək, derived from *phɔɔk ~ *pʔɔɔk (“fish-paste”); compare Khmer ប្រហុក (prɑɑhok, “fish-paste”), ផ្អក (phʼɑɑk, “fish-paste”), Mon ဖြံက် (hərɔk, “fish-paste”).


hòm

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
函 (CJK)
㮀 (CJK)

→ 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


bự

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

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


lờn

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of nhờn


cá tràu

[kaː˧˦ t͡ɕaw˨˩]

[kaː˨˩˦ ʈaw˦˩]


mì chính

[mi˨˩ t͡ɕïŋ˧˦]

[mɪj˦˩ t͡ɕɨn˦˧˥]

[mɪj˨˩ cɨn˦˥]

Borrowed from Cantonese 味精 (mei⁶ zing¹), from a genericized trademark of Tien Chu Ve-Tsin food company. The "味精" trademark itself ultimately comes from Japanese 味(み)精(せい) (misei). Doublet of vị tinh.

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) monosodium glutamate


hĩm

(dated or dialectal, Central Vietnam, colloquial) baby girl; little girl (as used by a farmer)

(Central Vietnam, colloquial) Name used to call a close farmer friend who has a first-born baby girl.


dức

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 責 (SV: trách)

zh-ref

Beaudouin, Baxter, & Sagart, 2021: 43 of 86

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 謫 (SV: trích)

zh-ref

Beaudouin, Baxter, & Sagart, 2021: 60 of 86

(Central Vietnam) to deride; to abuse; to insult; to reprove


dím

eye dialect spelling of nhím, representing Central Vietnam Vietnamese


dơ

head

dơ • (汿, 泇, 洳, 𬉣)

vi-adj

dơ • (汿, 泇, 洳, 𬉣)

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

Doublet of nhơ. Compare dòm vs. nhòm, dớp vs. nhớp, etc.

đồ dơ

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) dirty; unclean

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) shameless; barefaced


giỡn

Cognate with rỡn in cà rỡn and possibly nhởn.

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


trầm mình

[t͡ɕəm˨˩ mïŋ˨˩]

[ʈəm˦˩ mɨn˦˩]

[ʈəm˨˩ mɨn˨˩]

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


rứa

Part of the r-series of demonstratives, along with rày, ri, ru, răng.

Mi đi mô về rứa?

(Central Vietnam) final particle used in an interrogative sentence


dơ bẩn

[zəː˧˧ ʔɓən˧˩]

[jəː˧˧ ʔɓəŋ˧˨]

[jəː˧˧ ʔɓəŋ˨˩˦]


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)”)


đụng

[ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam) alternative form of đũng (“seat (of trousers)”)


núc

[nʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to chug


đọi

head

đọi • (𡑖, 𥖐)

ăn không nên đọi, nói chẳng nên lời

cannot adequately eat a bowl of rice or say a comprehensible sentence

(North Central Vietnam) bowl (from which rice is typically eaten)


lạt

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


úi

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) An expression of surprise


ẻm

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

vi-etym-hoi

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

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


bển

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

(Southern Vietnam, certain regions of Thanh Hoá) that side


ăn hàng

[ʔan˧˧ haːŋ˨˩]

[ʔaŋ˧˧ haːŋ˦˩]

[ʔaŋ˧˧ haːŋ˨˩]

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


chộ

Thằng Đán thua mình bốn tuổi, chỉ sáu tuổi thôi nhưng khôn hơn rận, chuyện gì cũng biết. Nó nói chôông là giống ma đó. Mình nói ma chi. Nó nói ma l. Mình cười he he he, đá đít nó một phát, nói ba trợn. Thằng Đán trợn mắt trương gân cổ lên, nói thiệt đo, anh không tin thì thôi. Mình nhăn răng cười, nói ba láp, nói ma l. răng không giống… Thằng Đán lại trợn mắt trương gân cổ lên, nói anh chộ rồi răng nói không giống, mình tịt câm. Nó nói anh không chộ chôông toàn làm hang ở mả đàn bà à. Nghe cũng có lý

2014, Nguyễn Quang Lập, “Quê choa chí dị”, in Chuyện nhà quê:

Đán was four years younger than me, but he was very clever albeit being only six. He said "the agamas are ghosts". When I asked what kind of ghost they are, he replied that they were "c*nt ghosts". I laughed, kicked his ass and said that he was just making shit up. Đán insisted vehemently that they were real and "if you don't believe me, fine". I grinned, said he was just bullshitting, "if they are really "c*nt ghosts", why do they look nothing alike?"... Đán once again argued back just as vehemently, "Have you seen them or something, how can you be so sure that they look nothing alike?", which shut me up. He said, "Don't you see that the agamas always burrow in women's graves?". "Sounds reasonable", I thought.


cươi

Cognate with Chut [Mày] takɤl¹ (Babaev & Samarina, 2018).

lá lảy đầy cươi


trữa

Cognate with mainstream Vietnamese giữa; inherited from an unattested Central Old Vietnamese form different from the Northern Old Vietnamese attested in early Nôm texts.

North Central Vietnam form of giữa (“between, in the middle”)


cỡi

eye dialect spelling of cưỡi, representing Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam Vietnamese


ngoắt

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


cà rỡn

[kaː˨˩ zəːn˦ˀ˥]

[kaː˦˩ ʐəːŋ˧˨]

[kaː˨˩ ɹəːŋ˨˩˦]

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

affix

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


cà tưng

[kaː˨˩ tɨŋ˧˧]

[kaː˦˩ tɨŋ˧˧]

[kaː˨˩ tɨŋ˧˧]

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

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


tắn

North Central Vietnam form of rắn (“snake”)


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

(Central Vietnam) to sink (into); to plunge (into)

(Central Vietnam) to keep (something) to oneself (and not give to others)


đam

From Proto-Vietic *k-taːm, from Proto-Austroasiatic *ktaːm (“crab”). Cognate with Temiar gantam, Bahnar kơtam, Pacoh atam, Khasi tham, Khmer ក្ដាម (kdaam), Mon ဂတာံ (hətam) and Car Nicobarese ka-tām. Malay ketam is probably an Austroasiatic loan.

(North Central Vietnam) field crab; freshwater crab


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


rành

Bây nói rành hay.


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


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


bàu

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) pond, pool


bíu

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to cling


rinh

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


quạu

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


quạu

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) irritable; cranky


lôông

lôông cơn

North Central Vietnam form of trồng (“to plant”)


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

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

Khứa nào lấy mũ của tao rồi?


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

bò lặt


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˦˥]

Muốn thành công mà cứ làm biếng thì ai cũng làm được.

That whoever is lazy wants to succeed is a piece of cake.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to be lazy


xía

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to interfere


cá hẻn

[kaː˧˦ hɛn˧˩]

[kaː˨˩˦ hɛŋ˧˨]

[kaː˦˥ hɛŋ˨˩˦]

airbreathing catfish
airbreathing catfish

(North Central Vietnam) airbreathing catfish


mụt ruồi

[mʊk̚˨˩ʔ ʐuj˦˩]

[mʊk͡p̚˨˩˨ ɹuj˨˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) mole; melanocytic nevus


xoáy

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hair whorl


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


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


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


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


bổi

(Central Vietnam) dried leaves, tree branches, straws intended to be burned


mánh

See miếng. Compare cảnh vs. kiểng.
This form is from the undiphthongized variant of root: *-mɛːŋʔ > *mɛːɲᴮ¹ (*-ŋ palatalized after monophthongal front vowels) > mánh, while miếng derived from the diphthongization of *ɛː: *-mɛːŋʔ > miəŋᴮ¹. Compare also Sino-Vietnamese morpheme danh, from *mjɛːŋᴬ > *jɛːŋᴬ¹ > jɛːɲᴬ¹.

IPAfont

*-mɛːŋʔ > miəŋᴮ¹

*-mɛːŋʔ > miəŋᴮ¹

*mjɛːŋᴬ > *jɛːŋᴬ¹ > jɛːɲᴬ¹

*mjɛːŋᴬ > *jɛːŋᴬ¹ > jɛːɲᴬ¹

(dialectal, Central Vietnam, only in compounds elsewhere) piece


phỏng

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of bỏng


lảng

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


đơm

Compare the following doublet pairs; nhân vs. nhơn, đàn vs. đờn, etc.

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of đâm (“to sprout”)


mạo

Sino-Vietnamese word from 帽. Doublet of mũ and mão.

(North Central Vietnam) hat; cap; helmet


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”)


phích

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) a thermos


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


bòng bòng

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˨˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˨˩]

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˩]

[ʔɓɔŋ˦˩ ʔɓɔŋ˦˩]

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˨˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˨˩]

Syzygium samarangense
Syzygium samarangense#Translingual

(Thanh Hoá) wax apple (Syzygium samarangense)


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


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


thốn

From Old Chinese 刌 (OC *[tsʰ]ˤu[n]ʔ) (B-S) (SV: thiển).

IPAfont

*􂀿tsʰ􂁀ˤu􂀿n􂁀ʔ

och-l

*􂀿tsʰ􂁀ˤu􂀿n􂁀ʔ

(Central Vietnam) to cut short; to make short or narrow


nạm

(Central Vietnam) alternative form of nắm (“handful”)


bực

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


cơm muối

[kəːm˧˧ muəj˧˦]

[kəːm˧˧ muj˨˩˦]

From cơm (“cooked rice”) + muối (“salt”), perhaps from the ingredients used in exorcisms. Saying it in response to a child's sneeze is believed to expel the evil spirit that's possessing their weak phách at that moment.

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) bless you; gesundheit


trộm vía

[t͡ɕom˧˨ʔ viə˧˦]

[ʈom˨˩ʔ viə˨˩˦]

[ʈom˨˩˨ viə˦˥]

[ʈom˨˩˨ jiə˦˥]

From trộm (“to steal”) + vía (“po”). Perhaps used as a superstitious precaution against potential damage to a child's weak po, or an evil spirit that might take something good away from it if you don't compliment it properly.

Trộm vía, cháu bé bụ bẫm quá!

Oh my! What a chubby baby you've got there!

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) used before complimenting an infant


dợ

(North Central Vietnam, of rain or wind) to stop; to cease


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


um sùm

[ʔum˧˧ ʂum˦˩]

[ʔʊm˧˧ ʂʊm˨˩]

[ʔʊm˧˧ sʊm˨˩]

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


khỏ

(Central Vietnam) alternative form of gõ (“to knock, to rap”)


niền

cái (classifier)
𦀅 (CJK)
niềng (alternative)

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


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


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


cộ

head

cộ • (椇, 𤚦, 𨍄)

vi-noun

cộ • (椇, 𤚦, 𨍄)

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

2013, Từ Kế Tường, “Ngồi cộ trâu [Riding the buffalo-sled]”, in Tuổi Trẻ [Youth]:

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

(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

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.

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]”, in Dân Việt [Viet 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.

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


cá điêu hồng

con (classifier)
cá diêu hồng (alternative)

[kaː˧˦ ʔɗiəw˧˧ həwŋ͡m˨˩]

[kaː˨˩˦ ʔɗiw˧˧ həwŋ͡m˦˩]

[kaː˦˥ ʔɗiw˧˧ həwŋ͡m˨˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) red tilapia


nò

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) kind of fish trap


ngột

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to feel suffocated


chọc lét

[t͡ɕawk͡p̚˧˨ʔ lɛt̚˧˦]

[t͡ɕawk͡p̚˨˩ʔ lɛt̚˦˧˥]

[cawk͡p̚˨˩˨ lɛk̚˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to tickle


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


nhôông

See chồng.
This particular dialectal form is from the proto-form with *ʄ-, while the dominant form chồng is from *ɟ- (regular lower register tone due to voiced onset). Although implosives already gave upper register tone, thanks to comparative evidences (Thavung pʰajoːŋ¹), the presyllable *p- can further be recovered. The form with *ʄ- is probably the more original form: *p-ʄ- > *ʄ- > *ɟ-, with the non-North Central dialects derived chồng from stage 3 while the North Central form is compatible with stage 2.
Compare also the case of nhông (“agama”) (< *-ʄ-), chôông (“agama”) (< medial *-ɟ-, North Central form, unaffected by lenition) and giông (“salamander”) (< medial *-ɟ-, Northern-Southern form, affected by lenition).

nhông (alternative)
dôông (alternative)
dông (alternative)

North Central Vietnam form of chồng (“husband”)


cá ông

head

cá ông • (𩵜翁)

[kaː˧˦ ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[kaː˨˩˦ ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[kaː˦˥ ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧]


bùi

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


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 and Southern Vietnam form of giạng (“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


rọt

North Central Vietnam form of ruột (“intestines”)


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


côi

để côi trốc


nậy

Cháu Mộ La.
Đã nhận được thư cháu, Chú cãm ơn. Biết cháu to nậy, mạnh khoẽ, tiến bộ, chú mầng. Nhưng cháu viết hơi “văn ngệ” quá, Chú ngại. Ví zụ: Răng không kêu chú là chú Minh, lại kêu bằng “Minh thúc”. Tiếng ta có, thì nên zùng tiếng ta, như rứa fỗ thông hơn, fãi không cháu?
Hôn cháu
Chú Minh

Dear Mộ La.
I have already received your letter and I want to thank you for it. I'm glad to know that you are grown, healthy and are doing well in your studying. However, I was a bit flustered by your "artistic" writing style. For example, why did you not call me chú Minh, but "Minh thúc"? We have our language, we should use it, so that it can be more widely understood, don't you agree?
Affectionately,
Uncle Minh


tắc đường

[tak̚˧˦ ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩]

[tak̚˦˧˥ ʔɗɨəŋ˦˩]

[tak̚˦˥ ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩]

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) traffic jam


lạt nhách

[laːt̚˧˨ʔ ɲajk̟̚˧˦]

[laːk̚˨˩ʔ ɲat̚˦˧˥]

[laːk̚˨˩˨ ɲat̚˦˥]

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


màng nhện

[maːŋ˨˩ ɲen˧˨ʔ]

[maːŋ˦˩ ɲen˨˩ʔ]

[maːŋ˨˩ ɲəːn˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) spiderweb


hèn chi

[hɛn˨˩ t͡ɕi˧˧]

[hɛŋ˦˩ t͡ɕɪj˧˧]

[hɛŋ˨˩ cɪj˧˧]

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


dôn

See chồng and nhôông.
Basically, ‹nh-› > ‹d-› shift + ‹-n› ~ ‹-ng› merger

Xin được đơn cử một câu rất Huế, một tâm sự kín đáo giữa hai o đang tuổi lấy chồng:
"Tau noái với mi ri nì, en còn ở dôn, rứa mà bữa tê tề, en chộ tau phới ló ngoài cươi, en kêu tau vô, bồn tau lên chờn, cái ba... en đẩn. Mi quai chướng khôn?"
Sở dĩ tâm sự kín đáo vì đây là chuyện riêng của hai người, nói bằng thổ ngữ, nhưng ý nghĩa thì như vầy: "Tao nói với mày như vầy, ảnh còn ở rể, vậy mà hôm kia kìa, tao đang phơi lúa ngoài sân, ảnh kêu tao vào, bồng tao lên giường, rồi ảnh... Mày coi có kỳ không?".

2014, Cuộc Sống Việt, “Thổ ngữ của Tiếng Huế [Huế lects]”, in khamphahue.com.vn:


trấn

See rận. In the mainstream dialects, the presyllable was lost, therefore the modern initial is /r/, meanwhile this North Central form went through the distinct North Central shift *C-r- > *C-l-, yielding modern /ʈ/.

North Central Vietnam form of rận (“body louse”)


tấy

See rái.
In spite of a phonological discrepancy, rái and tấy are both regular reflexes of the Proto-Vietic word in terms of dialectal development, wih most Vietnamese dialects spirantized medial *-s- to ‹r› while the North Central dialects kept the *-s- (that later regularly shifted to ‹t›) unaffected by the presyllable *p-. For the ‹ay›-‹ây› (< *eː) correspondence, compare North Central gấy vs. standard written gái, trấy vs. trái, cây vs. gai.

North Central Vietnam form of rái (“otter”)


théc

Bùn théc quá, nằm méng!

"Ru em em théc cho muồi/ để mạ đi chợ mua vôi ăn trầu…" Rồi dừng rất lâu ở từ "théc". Bao đôi mắt tròn xoe ngơ ngác dưới kia ồ cả lên, ôi théc là ngủ hở cô?

2018 December 13, Đông Hà, “Tiếng nằm nôi”, in Tạp chí Cửa Việt, number 289:

"Sleep tight with my lullaby o' sweet darling/ let mom go to the market and buy some lime for betel eating" Then [we] pause for awhile at [the mentioning of] "théc". All the pupils busted in amazement: Teacher, does "théc" mean sleep?


dị

(Central Vietnam) embarrassed, shy, bashful


bầy tui

[ʔɓəj˨˩ tuj˧˧]

[ʔɓəj˦˩ tuj˧˧]

[ʔɓəj˨˩ tuj˧˧]

(certain dialects in Thanh Hoá) we/us (exclusive)

(Huế, informal, familiar) I/me (used by someone with status equal or higher than his or her conversational partner, but doesn't want to sound too intimate to them)


ăn bận

[ʔan˧˧ ʔɓən˧˨ʔ]

[ʔaŋ˧˧ ʔɓəŋ˨˩ʔ]

[ʔaŋ˧˧ ʔɓəŋ˨˩˨]

ăn bận chỉnh tề

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


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


ngày mốt

[ŋaj˦˩ mok̚˦˧˥]

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

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


muồi

(Central Vietnam, of sleep) deep; comfortable


trốc gối

𬳕𨆝 (CJK)
trôốc cúi (alternative)
trốc cúi (alternative)
trôốc cún (alternative)
trốc cún (alternative)
trôốc gúi (alternative)
trốc gúi (alternative)

[t͡ɕəwk͡p̚˧˦ ɣoj˧˦]

[ʈəwk͡p̚˦˧˥ ɣoj˨˩˦]

[ʈəwk͡p̚˦˥ ɣoj˦˥]

trốc (“head”) + gối (“knee”). See đầu gối.
While this form is undoubtedly "written down", the actual existence and usage of it is not clear, as in most of the North Central dialects where equivalents of this are used, the vowel nucleus of the second morpheme is usually the conservative unlowered /u/ (see the forms above). Therefore, trốc gối might just be a written compromise between the actual forms used in real life with the "standard written" mainstream gối.

(Central Vietnam) knee (joint in the middle of the leg and area around it)


bữa diếp

[ʔɓɨə˦ˀ˥ ziəp̚˧˦]

[ʔɓɨə˧˨ jiəp̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɨə˨˩˦ jip̚˦˥]

day before yesterday
day before yesterday

(North Central Vietnam) the day before yesterday


cẩn

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


phứt

See bứt, likely originated from a North Central dialect. For pairs of plain (or in many cases, lenited) vs. aspirated initial, compare gảy vs. khảy, quấy vs. khuấy, cứa vs. khứa, bết vs. phết, bỏng vs. phỏng.
See also phắt, a variant.

(North Central Vietnam) to take off; to pluck


bầy quân

[ʔɓəj˨˩ kwən˧˧]

[ʔɓəj˦˩ kwəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓəj˨˩ wəŋ˧˧]

(Thanh Hoá, Huế, endearing) you (addressing one's spouse)


chiếng

[ciəŋ˩ ~ t͡ɕiəŋ˩]

Lời bảo. — Ai năng coi sách chữ quấc ngữ thì dễ mà phân biệt chữ nọ dấu kia, song nên nhớ luật chung rằng: Khi nào hồ nghi không biết một tiếng là d, g hay nh, thì dò tiếng nhà quê có lẽ cũng biết được. Vậy nhà quê nói trại qua CH thì là G. Ví dụ: Giếng, giường, nhà quê nói chiếng, chờng. Giữ gìn nhà quê nói chự chìn; nhà quê nói trại qua Đ h. là R thì là D, ví dụ: Dày dặn nhà quê nói đày đặn.

1919, anonymous author, “Phần thứ I. Dạy chung ít điều về văn chương”, in Văn chương thi phú Annam (Littérature and prosodie annamite):

An advice. — Those who often read books written in the National script [the Vietnamese Latin alphabet] will find it easy to distinguish words and tones, but you should still remember this rule of thumb: Whenever you are not sure whether a word started with d, g or nh, you can probably tell by looking at the speech of the rural folks. If the rural folks say CH then it's G. For example, for giếng, giường, they say chiếng, chờng. For giữ gìn, they say chự chìn; if the rural folks turn it into Đ or R then it's D, for example: for dày dặn they say đày đặn.

North Central Vietnam form of giếng (“well”)


cù bơ cù bất

cầu bơ cầu bất (alternative)
cầu bất cầu bơ (alternative)
cù bất cù bơ (alternative)

[ku˨˩ ʔɓəː˧˧ ku˨˩ ʔɓət̚˧˦]

[kʊw˦˩ ʔɓəː˧˧ kʊw˦˩ ʔɓək̚˦˧˥]

[kʊw˨˩ ʔɓəː˧˧ kʊw˨˩ ʔɓək̚˦˥]

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


nhà quân

[ɲaː˨˩ kwən˧˧]

[ɲaː˦˩ kwəŋ˧˧]

[ɲaː˨˩ wəŋ˧˧]

(certain North Central Vietnam dialects, friendly) I; me

certain North Central Vietnam dialects; friendly; certain North Central Vietnam dialects; friendly

(certain North Central Vietnam dialects, friendly) we; us


cảy

From Proto-Vietic *kas, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ʔas ~ *ʔəs. Cognate with Pacoh ayh, éih, Khasi at, Khmu [Cuang] ʔɛh.
See cứt (“shit”) and củi (“firewood”) for two other known cases where Vietic velar initial corresponds to zero-initial in other Austroasiatic branches.


rượn

heo rượn đực

rượn như ngựa Thượng Tứ

to be lewd, lustful, lascivious (literally, “to rut like an imperial mare”)

(North Central Vietnam, of animals, offensive when used for humans) to be in oestrus, to be in heat, to rut


cuông

North Central Vietnam form of công (“peafowl”)


ô dề

Originally North Central Vietnamese, now widespread due to usage on social media like TikTok, Facebook, etc.

(North Central Vietnam, colloquial) vulgar; crude; embarrassing


trấy

See the main entry trái. This is not a reflex of Northern Middle Vietnamese blái attested in Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651). The diphthongization of *eː > /əj/ is a characteristic of the North Central dialects and is not related to the *eː > /aːj/ in the mainstream dialects.

North Central Vietnam form of trái (“fruit”)


xe khách

[sɛ˧˧ xajk̟̚˧˦]

[sɛ˧˧ kʰat̚˦˧˥]

[sɛ˧˧ xat̚˦˧˥]

[sɛ˧˧ kʰat̚˦˥]

[sɛ˧˧ xat̚˦˥]

xe (“wheeled vehicle”) + khách (“guest; passenger; customer”).

compound

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) coach (long-distance bus)


lọ nghẹ

[lɔ˧˨ʔ ŋɛ˧˨ʔ]

[lɔ˨˩ʔ ŋɛ˨˩ʔ]

[lɔ˨˩˨ ŋɛ˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) cooking pot's soot


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, rare or obsolete) flower


khải

North Central Vietnam form of gãi (“to scratch”)


ảng

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
ang (alternative)

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


chôông

[t͡ɕoŋ˧˥ ~ coŋ˧˥]

(phonetic spelling) North Central Vietnam form of nhông (“agama”)


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


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)


đưới

Đôi triếc con đưới con côi
Hai con cùng một kết đôi vợ chồng.

A heron pair, one below, one above,
Two of them become one, a pair of husband and wife.

Bán mẹng đưới nuôi mẹng côi.

To sell the lower mouth [read: cunt] in order to feed the upper mouth. [lit. to earn a living by working as a prostitute]

North Central Vietnam form of dưới (“under, below”)


đướn

Cognate with mainstream Vietnamese dưới; inherited from an unattested Central Old Vietnamese form different from the Northern Old Vietnamese attested in early Nôm texts.
This form appears to be distributed in Thanh Hoá, where *-l > /n/ was a common sound change.

Chỗ su đến háng, chỗ trốc cun
Miếu Ông ngồi đó, đướn cân trôi


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


bửn

Hắn chơi bửn dữ, nỏ chơi với hắn nữa.

He played real dirty, I'm not playing with him anymore.

Mày sống bửn thế mà vẫn sống là con người được à?

You live this dirty and you're somehow still a human?

(North Central Vietnam, Northern Vietnam) alternative form of bẩn


hầy

Nói nghe hay hầy?

You really are just saying anything huh?

Vậy chứ món đó cũng đâu mắc lắm đâu hầy.

When you think about it, that stuff is actually not that expensive, no?

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Sentence-final question particle.


chu choa

[t͡ɕu˧˧ t͡ɕwaː˧˧]

[t͡ɕʊw˧˧ t͡ɕwaː˧˧]

[cʊw˧˧ c⁽ʷ⁾aː˧˧]

Chu choa mạ ơi!

(chiefly Central Vietnam, humorous in Northern Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) an interjection of surprise and amazement; Oh my God!; Oh my!


dơ hì

dơ hầy (alternative)
dơ hỳ (alternative)

[zəː˧˧ hi˨˩]

[jəː˧˧ hɪj˦˩]

[jəː˧˧ hɪj˨˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) very dirty


nước lèo

[nɨək̚˧˦ lɛw˨˩]

[nɨək̚˦˧˥ lɛw˦˩]

[nɨək̚˦˥ lɛw˨˩]

(Central Vietnam) a dipping sauce originating from Huế, made from sweet soy sauce, chili powder, fish sauce, pork stock, sugar, MSG, lard, either dried onion or dried garlic, roasted peanuts, sesame seeds and pork liver; it has a mild, rich sweet, spicy flavor and is typically served with some of Huế's specialties


đậu phụng

[ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ fʊwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ fʊwŋ͡m˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗəw˨˩˨ fʊwŋ͡m˨˩˨]

(chiefly Central Vietnam) peanut, groundnut, earthnut


đại sự

[ʔɗaːj˧˨ʔ sɨ˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗaːj˨˩ʔ ʂɨ˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗaːj˨˩ʔ sɨ˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗaːj˨˩˨ ʂɨ˨˩˨]

[ʔɗaːj˨˩˨ sɨ˨˩˨]

Thằng ni ngồi vô mâm là ăn đại sự.

Đúng kiểu ông nhà tao 106 tuổi rồi mà các o, các chú, các bác vô chúc Tết là cứ mần đại sự: "Chúc ông sống lâu trăm tuổi".

Dạ em không biết đến cỡ nào, nhưng chộ thầy hăng lên mần đại sự thì chắc là ngon lắm.

(North Central Vietnam, colloquial) a lot, repeatedly, to the point of excessively


vị tinh

[vi˧˨ʔ tïŋ˧˧]

[vɪj˨˩ʔ tɨn˧˧]

[vɪj˨˩˨ tɨn˧˧]

[jɪj˨˩˨ tɨn˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 味精. Doublet of mì chính.


xáp lá cà

[saːp̚˧˦ laː˧˦ kaː˨˩]

[saːp̚˦˧˥ laː˨˩˦ kaː˦˩]

[saːp̚˦˥ laː˦˥ kaː˨˩]

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of giáp lá cà (“close-quarter combat”)


kết trái

Chinese 結 /结 + trái (“fruit”), partial calque of Chinese 結果 /结果 (SV: kết quả).

pcal

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

đơm hoa kết trái; đâm bông kết trái

(originally Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) to bear fruit


coi bộ

[kɔj˧˧ ʔɓo˧˨ʔ]

[kɔj˧˧ ʔɓow˨˩ʔ]

[kɔj˧˧ ʔɓow˨˩˨]

coi (“to look”) + bộ (“bearing, appearance”).

com

Near-synonym: có vẻ

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to seem


giuống

Probably from an affixed form of the root that gave rise to xuống (“to go downwards, to descend”).
Attested in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651), a dictionary based chiefly on the Northern dialects, as giuống, glossed with Latin deſcendo (“to descend”). Attested in Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị (1895), a dictionary based chiefly on the Southern dialects, as giuống, glossed nhấc ra khỏi bếp (“to put down from the stove”), noted as tiếng ít dùng ("uncommon word"), so most likely already obsolete or rare in the Southern dialects by then.
Attested in Từ điển phương ngữ Huế ("A Dictionary of the Hue dialect(s)", 2017) with the unetymological spelling duống, glossed as nhấc (xuống) (“to put down”).

Con coi trách cá cho mạ, khi mô thấy nước síp síp thì duống xuống nghe!

You go look after the pot of fish [that is being cooked] for me, once most of the water has evaporated, you must put the pot down from the fire.

(Central Vietnam, obsolete in other dialects) to put down


mươn

(North Central Vietnam) a kind of bamboo pallet, resembling a small table


toóc

Rồi mùa toóc rã, rơm khô.
 Bậu về quê bậu, biết mô mà tìm.


giạ

vi-noun

(classifier cái, chiếc (“kind of bushel”)) giạ • (𣂃, 箸)

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) kind of bushel for measuring grains or beans


kiềng

(Central Vietnam) bamboo pad for placing hot pots on top


đồn đột

[ʔɗon˨˩ ʔɗot̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗoŋ˦˩ ʔɗok̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗoŋ˨˩ ʔɗok̚˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sea cucumber


thoạ

[tʰ⁽ʷ⁾aː˨˩˨]

(Central Vietnam) drawer (open-topped box that can be slid in and out of the cabinet that contains it)


mồn mồn

[moŋ˦˩ moŋ˦˩]

[moŋ˨˩ moŋ˨˩]

(Thanh Hoá) a kind of red land crab found in Thanh Hoá


ràng ràng

[zaːŋ˨˩ zaːŋ˨˩]

[ʐaːŋ˦˩ ʐaːŋ˦˩]

[ɹaːŋ˨˩ ɹaːŋ˨˩]

(North Central Vietnam) clearly, plainly


áo dầu

[ʔaːw˧˦ zəw˨˩]

[ʔaːw˨˩˦ jəw˦˩]

[ʔaːw˦˥ jəw˨˩]

(Huế) a waterproof coat or cloak that is usually worn in rain or other liquid precipitations such as a raincoat; rainsuit and rainjacket


chi chiết

[t͡ɕi˧˧ t͡ɕiət̚˧˦]

[t͡ɕɪj˧˧ t͡ɕiək̚˦˧˥]

[cɪj˧˧ ciək̚˦˥]


đường vàng

[ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩ vaːŋ˨˩]

[ʔɗɨəŋ˦˩ vaːŋ˦˩]

[ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩ vaːŋ˨˩]

[ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩ jaːŋ˨˩]


đường vàng

[ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩ vaːŋ˨˩]

[ʔɗɨəŋ˦˩ vaːŋ˦˩]

[ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩ vaːŋ˨˩]

[ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩ jaːŋ˨˩]


nguỵ đời

[ŋwi˧˨ʔ ʔɗəːj˨˩]

[ŋwɪj˨˩ʔ ʔɗəːj˦˩]

[ŋwɪj˨˩˨ ʔɗəːj˨˩]

(Huế) very strange, odd, unusual or weird


gờ-rác

[ɣəː˨˩ zaːk̚˧˦]

[ɣəː˦˩ ʐaːk̚˦˧˥]

[ɣəː˨˩ ɹaːk̚˦˥]

(Huế) non-hail ice, frozen liquid water, an ice cube, ice as used for consumption or refrigeration


lẹm

Con lẹm ngắn như rứa là con mưa nữa đó.

A short rainbow like that means it's gonna rain again.


mất tiêu

[mət̚˧˦ tiəw˧˧]

[mək̚˦˧˥ tiw˧˧]

Ủa, chia khoá mất tiêu đâu rồi?

(Southern Vietnam, Central Vietnam, colloquial) to vanish


mội

Mội nước khoáng trị bệnh nằm tại Phú Ninh, được nhà máy nạp chai, có khả năng dùng (giới hạn) cho cả tỉnh Quảng Nam, [...]

2009, Trần Kim Thạch, Khu kinh tế mở Chu Lai: Một lối vào thế kỷ 21 của Việt Nam [Chu Lai Open Economic Zone: A path towards the 21st century for Vietnam], Ho Chi Minh City: Nhà xuất bản Trẻ, page 101:

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) subterranean spring or stream


trấy cơn

[ʈəj˩ kəːn˧˥]

North Central Vietnam form of trái cây (“fruits”)


yếng sáng

[ʔiəŋ˧˦ saːŋ˧˦]

[ʔiəŋ˦˧˥ ʂaːŋ˦˧˥]

[ʔiəŋ˦˧˥ saːŋ˦˧˥]

[ʔiəŋ˦˥ ʂaːŋ˦˥]

[ʔiəŋ˦˥ saːŋ˦˥]

See ánh sáng. Originated during Gia Long reign in the Nguyễn dynasty when ánh shifted to yếng due the taboo associated with Gia Long's legal name Nguyễn Phúc Ánh.

Yếng sáng là bức xạ điện từ mà mắt người có thể cảm nhận được.

Light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye.


đông sương

[ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˧ sɨəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʂɨəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˧ sɨəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʂɨəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˧ sɨəŋ˧˧]

From Teochew 凍仙 /冻仙 (dong³ siêng¹). The second element is also seen in sương sáo (“grass jelly”).


bén ngót

[ʔɓɛn˧˦ ŋɔt̚˧˦]

[ʔɓɛŋ˦˧˥ ŋɔk̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɛŋ˦˥ ŋɔk̚˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) very sharp


phảng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) kind of sickle for cutting wild grass


ốt dột

[ʔot̚˧˦ zot̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔok̚˦˧˥ jok̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔok̚˦˥ jok̚˨˩˨]


cò lẹ

[kɔ˨˩ lɛ˧˨ʔ]

[kɔ˦˩ lɛ˨˩ʔ]

[kɔ˨˩ lɛ˨˩˨]

Thu Phương: haha, cò lẹ rứa phị, giừ tra rối hủ hở cò nhớ chi mô kkk!

2020, Nguyễn Bông Mai, edited by Phạm Xuân Cần, Vinh trong ký ức: Vinh Xưa [Vinh in memories: Old Vinh], Vinh: Nhà xuất bản Nghệ An, page 239:

pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

pronunciation spelling of có lẽ (“perhaps”), representing North Central Vietnam Vietnamese


cụi

Không chỉ có thế, họ còn nói "thoạ" là cái hộc tủ, "cụi" là tủ đựng thức ăn, đặt dưới bếp – thông thường thị dân còn gọi là cái "gạc-măng-rê" (phiên âm Garde manger của Pháp).

2009, Lê Minh Quốc, “Vài thổ âm, thổ ngữ của người Quảng (1) [A brief look on Quảng Nam lects (1)]”, in THVL.vn:

Not only that, they also call table drawer a "thọa", pantry a "cụi", [those items] placed in the kitchen – usually the city dwellers would call it a "gạc-măng-rê" (based on the French word).

Quê tôi gọi là cái cụi, có nơi gọi là chạn (gác-măng-rê). Dù gọi tên là gì thì về hình thức và công dụng đều giống nhau: Đó là vật dụng dùng để cất giữ cơm nước, thức ăn, mắm muối, xoong nồi, bát chảo...

2023, Đỗ Đức Thuần, “Cụi bếp hoài niệm [Beloved memory of a kitchen cupboard]”, in Quảng Bình:

It's called cụi in my hometown, people from other provinces might call it chạn. Whatever the case, it serves the same purpose: to store victuals, condiments, pots and pans, etc.

pronunciation spelling of cũi (“cupboard”), representing Central Vietnam Vietnamese


vịm

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
埮 (CJK)
𥁷 (CJK)

(Huế) glazed terracotta pot with lid, usually for storing food


thù đủ

[tʰu˨˩ ʔɗu˧˩]

[tʰʊw˦˩ ʔɗʊw˧˨]

[tʰʊw˨˩ ʔɗʊw˨˩˦]

Phép nấu dầu Thù-đủ: dùng nhân (tức cái ruột ở trong cái hột) Thù-đủ 5 cân, dã nhỏ, đổ vào 1 đấu nước nấu có bọt nổi lên, vớt lấy bọt ấy, hết nổi bọt mới thôi.

1962, Nguyễn Văn Tạo, transl., Đại-Nam-nhất-thống-chí: Thừa-Thiên-phủ, Nha Văn-hóa Bộ Quốc-gia Giáo dục, page 49:

How to make papaya oil: procure 5 grams of papaya kernel (i.e. the innermost part of the seed), grind them to pieces, pour in 1 ladle of boiled water, scoop out bubbles floating at the top, finish only when bubbles stop rising.

Trái đu đủ thì ai cũng biết nhưng ít ai biết người Huế gọi trái đó là trái chi? Xin thưa: người Huế gọi nó là Thù đủ.

2004, Trần Hữu Lục, Chuyện Huế ít người biết [Lesser known stories about Huế], Ho Chi Minh City: Nhà xuất bản Trẻ, page 216:

We all know what a đu đủ is, but only a handful of people know that Huế-ians call it by another name: Thù đủ.

(Central Vietnam, especially Huế) papaya


đẻo đai

[ʔɗɛw˧˩ ʔɗaːj˧˧]

[ʔɗɛw˧˨ ʔɗaːj˧˧]

[ʔɗɛw˨˩˦ ʔɗaːj˧˧]

[...] Nhưng về âm sao không dùng chữ khác gần với da, dâu, dế, dạy, dối, lại dùng đa, đâu, đế, đại, đối, đều là chữ viết bằng phụ âm đ mà bây giờ chúng ta phát âm khác với d ? Có lẽ d và đ ngày xưa gần nhau lắm, chứng cớ là hiện nay còn nhiều chữ d và đ thông nhau cùng một nghĩa. Thí dụ:
Cái đĩa = Cái dĩa
Cây đa = Cây da
Con đao = Con dao
Đẻo đai = Dẻo dai
Người Trung, Nam gọi cái dĩa, cây da, người Bắc lại gọi cái đĩa, cây đa. Những tiếng đao (con dao) đai (dẻo dai) hiện giờ vẫn thông dụng tại các vùng quê miền Bắc Trung phần, ngay đến nông dân ở vài miền quê tỉnh Thừa Thiên cũng còn phát âm như thế.

1971, Nguyễn Hữu Quỳ, “Lời dịch giả”, in Nguyễn Hữu Quỳ, editor, Tự-Đức Thánh-chế tự-học giải-nghĩa-ca, volume 1, Phủ quốc vụ khanh đặc trách văn hóa, page 15:

… But phonetically why didn't they employ characters whose pronunciations were closest to da 'skin', dâu 'berry', dế 'cricket', dạy 'to teach', dối 'to lie', instead of đa, đâu, đế, đại, đối, which all carry đ as the initial and are nowadays distinguished from d markedly? Maybe back then d and đ were not so much different, since we still see many couplets that have both d and đ as initials and carry the same meaning. For example:
Cái đĩa = Cái dĩa
Cây đa = Cây da
Con đao = Con dao
Đẻo đai = Dẻo dai
While Central and Southern Vietnamese speakers say cái dĩa, cây da, Northerners say cái đĩa, cây đa. In fact, words like đao (con dao) đai (dẻo dai) are still commonly used in North Central Vietnam and even Thừa Thiên's countryside.

North Central Vietnam form of dẻo dai (“resilient”)


khới

(uncommon, Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to gnaw; to nibble


chưn

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) alternative form of chân


muỗng cà phê

[muəŋ˦ˀ˥ kaː˨˩ fe˧˧]

[muəŋ˧˨ kaː˦˩ fej˧˧]

[muəŋ˨˩˦ kaː˨˩ fej˧˧]

Với trường hấp dẫn như trên Trái đất, một muỗng cà phê vật chất từ sao neutron cũng phải nặng một tỷ tấn.

2019 [2010], Michael Brooks, translated by Đông Nam Stice, edited by Lục Huy Hoàng and Phạm Văn Hải, Những câu hỏi lớn - Vật lý, translation of The big questions: Physics (in English), page 165:

With a gravitational field like Earth’s, a teaspoon of neutron star matter would still weigh a billion tons.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) teaspoon


sọi sặng

[sɔj˧˨ʔ saŋ˧˨ʔ]

[ʂɔj˨˩ʔ ʂaŋ˨˩ʔ]

[sɔj˨˩ʔ saŋ˨˩ʔ]

[ʂɔj˨˩˨ ʂaŋ˨˩˨]

[sɔj˨˩˨ saŋ˨˩˨]

(Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, of housework) hardworking and competent