馬

chữ Hán form of mã (“(xiangqi, chess) a knight; any piece labeled with 馬 (black)”).


be

lấy tay be miệng đấu khi đong đỗ

to surround the top of a measure with one's hands while measuring beans

Đong bình thường, không được be đâu đấy.

Measure it out normally; don't prop up the lip of the sack.

To prop up the lip of a sack while topping off the sack, to ensure a more generous quantity.


koala

[ko˧˧ ʔaː˧˧ laː˧˧]

[kow˧˧ ʔaː˧˧ laː˧˧]

[kow˧˧ ʔaː˧˧ laː˧˧]


tulip

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

[tʊw˧˧ lip̚˦˧˥]


so

mangrove horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda)


song

head

𣙩, 漴, 牕, 窗, 窓, 窻

vi-noun

𣙩, 漴, 牕, 窗, 窓, 窻

𣙩 (CJK)
漴 (CJK)
牕 (CJK)
窗 (CJK)
窓 (CJK)
窻 (CJK)

sau song sắt

Short for chấn song (“upright post in a paling or railing”).


sung

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
𣑁 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *t-ruːŋ. Compare Pacoh tarúng (“fig”).


午

ngọ (Hán-Nôm)
ngỏ (Hán-Nôm)
ngõ (Hán-Nôm)

chữ Hán form of Ngọ (“seventh of the twelve earthly branches”).


han

chiếc nồi đồng han xanh


tre

From Proto-Vietic *k-lɛː. Compare also Proto-Katuic *ʔalɛɛ (“type of bamboo”) (whence Pacoh ale (“small bamboo used for spears”)).
Attested as tle in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).
Doublet of le (seen in măng le (“kind of wild bamboo shoots”)).

cog

te

certain coastal Northern dialects, endangered


cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
𦰡 (CJK)

Possibly a direct loan from Spanish anona or through other intermediaries. Compare Thai น้อยหน่า (nɔ́ɔi-nàa) and Malay nona.

Thai น้อยหน่า (nɔ́ɔi-nàa)

Annona squamosa
Annona squamosa#Translingual

(Northern Vietnam) sugar apple (Annona squamosa)


si

From Proto-Vietic *ɟ-riː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɟriiʔ; cognate with Bahnar jri, Khmer ជ្រៃ (crɨy), Khasi jri, Old Mon jrey.

certain members of the Mallotus and Ficus genera


騾

chữ Nôm form of la (“a horse-donkey hybrid; a mule or a hinny”).


sả

cây (classifier)
củ (classifier)
𦲺 (CJK)
𦵘 (CJK)


sả

The some pairs with ⟨s⟩ vs. ⟨tr⟩ variation, compare sải vs. trải, sống vs. trống, sừng vs. trừng.


la

bị vợ la

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


la

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 騾 (“mule”, SV: loa).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

a horse–donkey hybrid; a mule or a hinny


voi

con (classifier)
thớt (classifier)
㺔 (CJK)
𤠅 (CJK)
𤢇 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *-vɔːj. Related to vòi (“trunk”).
Attested as voi in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

ngà voi

Thầy bói xem voi


don

Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus macrourus)


ló

North Central Vietnam form of lúa (“rice”)


gai

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

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”)).


le

head

<i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">phonemic reduplicative</i>

vi-noun

(classifier con) le • (𪅆) (phonemic reduplicative le le)

con (classifier)
𪅆 (CJK)
le le (reduplication)

Nam Giao cổ kim lý hạng ca dao chú giải 南交古金里巷歌謠註解 ("Old and new folk-ballads from the hamlets and alleys in Nanjiao, annotated and explained"), 151a
𡥵𪅆奴𣵰𡥵𪂮奴𱝩
Con le nó lặn; con cò nó bay.
The lesser whistling duck dives; the stork flies.

lesser whistling duck
lesser whistling duck


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) a leopard, a jaguar or a cheetah


moi

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


cam

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

Citrus aurantium
Citrus aurantium#Translingual

orange, such as Citrus × sinensis or Citrus aurantium (bitter orange)

Short for cam sành (“Citrus reticulata × sinensis”).


sen

From Etymology 2, with owners of cats and dogs perceived humorously as servants to their pets.

(slang, humorous) Owner of cat or dog; hooman


mai

For the connection between "first part of the day" and "day after this one", compare Germanic equivalents such as English morn(ning) and morrow, Dutch morgen, Romance ones such as French demain and Italian domani, and Japanese 明日 and 朝 (ashita).

(colloquial) Short for ngày mai (“tomorrow”).


mai

(classifier cây, bông, hoa) mai • (枚, 梅)

cây (classifier)
bông (classifier)
hoa (classifier)
枚 (CJK)
梅 (CJK)

Sino-Vietnamese word from 梅 (“Chinese plum”).

vi-etym-sino

1999, Lê Trung Vũ and Lê Hồng Lý, Lễ hội Việt Nam, Văn hoá Thông tin, page 357

In times of old, the ceremony of selecting Imperial Examination laureates was organized in spring, to coincide with the blooming of the apricot trees.

Ngày xưa kỳ thi Hội chọn lấy đỗ Tiến sĩ được tổ chức vào mùa xuân, cùng với dịp hoa mai nở.

Ochna integerrima, a tree species (sometimes shrub) of the family Ochnaceae, sometimes called apricot in English


cái

From Proto-Vietic *-keːʔ (“woman; female”). Compare gái.
Attested in the title of Phùng Hưng, 布蓋大王 (MC puH kajH dajH hjwang) (SV: Bố Cái Đại Vương), with the first two characters rendering words ancestral to modern vua (“monarch”) and cái ("great, main"), equivalent to the Chinese 大王 next to it, i.e. the title is the phrase "great king/monarch" written in two languages.

hoa cái

nhị cái

(of a non-human and non-avian species of animal or plant or their reproductive organs) female


ki

ngu như ki


người

con (classifier)
㝵 (CJK)
𠊚 (CJK)
𠊛 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *ŋaːj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *[m]ŋaaj (“human being; person”). Cognate with Muong ngài, Bahnar bơngai (“people, human being”) and Pacoh ngai (“they; them; their; others”). Also from the same root is ngươi (“pupil”).

cog

cười người chớ vội cười lâu, cười người hôm trước hôm sau người cười

Thấy trong người sao?

Sao người nó còm nhom vậy?


roi

cây (classifier)
cái (classifier)
鞕 (CJK)
𩍢 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *p-rɔːj. Cognate with Chut [Rục] brɔːj¹, Kha Phong urɔːj.


roi

Syzygium samarangense
Syzygium samarangense#Translingual

(Northern Vietnam) wax apple (Syzygium samarangense)


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”)


mít

Với nó chỉ có hỏi đâu mít đấy.

They're not going to know anything about what you ask.


én

From Proto-Vietic *ʔɛːnʔ, non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 燕 (SV: yến). Doublet of yến.

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(loosely) Synonym of yến (“swift”) (bird)


trai

From Proto-Vietic *p-laːl (“man, male”).

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

con trai

làm trai

(collective, informal, colloquial) gigolos; male prostitutes

lai

coastal Northern Vietnam, likely obsolete


cu

vi-noun

(classifier con) cu • (鴝) (phonemic reduplicative cu cu)

con (classifier)
鴝 (CJK)
cu cu (reduplication)

From Proto-Vietic *t-kuː (“dove”); ultimately onomatopoeic. Cognate with Kha Phong təkuː¹. Compare Thai เขา (kǎo), Chinese 鳩 (OC *[k](r)u) (B-S), Burmese ခို (hkui), English coo.
This is the form without both diphthongization and lenition. Also in common use are câu, bồ câu, both with diphthongization. The form gâu (in chim gâu) with both diphthongization and lenition is also attested.


cu

From etymology 1. For semantic relationship, compare English cock, Chinese 屌 (diǎo), 鳥 /鸟 (“bird”), Cantonese 㞗, 鳩 /鸠 (“pigeon”), Thai นกเขา (nók-kǎo, “pigeon”). Also see cò, chim.


sam

Portulaca oleracea
Portulaca oleracea#Translingual


bươm bướm

[ʔɓɨəm˧˧ ʔɓɨəm˧˦]

[ʔɓɨəm˧˧ ʔɓɨəm˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɨəm˧˧ ʔɓɨəm˦˥]

Reduplication of bướm; see there for more.


hành

cây (classifier)
củ (classifier)
行 (CJK)
荇 (CJK)

Audio (Hà Nội)

Short for hành tây (“onion”, literally “western onion”).


hành

Shortened from hành hạ.
Coinage most likely facilitated by the homophony of the unrelated noun above, leading to further coinage of phrases like bán hành (“to torment physically/to sell scallion”) and bón hành (“to give a one-sided beating/to spoon-feed scallion”).

Audio (Hà Nội)


meo

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 毛 (SV: mao).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Giở đến hộp mực thì ra nước đã cạn khô. Lớp bông mực lên meo trắng xóa.

1937, Ngô Tất Tố, chapter 5, in Trong rừng nho:

When he opened the ink box, the ink had already gone dry. The inkpad was white due to mold infestation.

(now not used in isolation) mold; mildew


mun

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


ve

vi-noun

(classifier con) ve • (蟡, 爲, 為) (phonemic reduplicative ve ve)

con (classifier)
蟡 (CJK)
爲 (CJK)
為 (CJK)
ve ve (reduplication)

Attested as ue in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).
Probably onomatopoeic, from the cry of the cicada.


é

cây (classifier)
hạt (classifier)
hột (classifier)
薏 (CJK)

bé như hột é

very small (literally, “as small as a lemon basil seed”)


coronavirus

[kɔ˧˧ zo˧˧ naː˧˧ vi˧˧ ɹut̚˧˦]

[kɔ˧˧ zo˧˧ naː˧˧ vi˧˧ zut̚˧˦]

[ko˧˧ zo˧˧ naː˧˧ vi˧˧ ɹut̚˧˦]

[kɔ˧˧ ʐow˧˧ naː˧˧ vɪj˧˧ ɹʊk̚˦˧˥]

[kow˧˧ ʐow˧˧ naː˧˧ vɪj˧˧ ɹʊk̚˦˧˥]

[kɔ˧˧ ɹow˧˧ naː˧˧ vɪj˧˧ ɹʊk͡p̚˦˥]

[kɔ˧˧ ɹow˧˧ naː˧˧ jɪj˧˧ ɹʊk͡p̚˦˥]

[kow˧˧ ɹow˧˧ naː˧˧ vɪj˧˧ ɹʊk͡p̚˦˥]

[kow˧˧ ɹow˧˧ naː˧˧ jɪj˧˧ ɹʊk͡p̚˦˥]

English coronavirus. From translingual Coronavirus, from Latin corona+Latin virus, from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē). Compare virus corona.

Bộ Ngoại giao Việt Nam hôm qua xác nhận có 8285 người Việt “đang sinh sống, học tập và lao động” tại thành phố Daegu, tâm dịch coronavirus ở Hàn Quốc.

2020 February 24, Trinh Nguyễn, “Hàn Quốc trở thành tâm dịch coronavirus lớn nhất bên ngoài Trung Quốc [South Korea becomes the largest concentration of a coronavirus outbreak outside China]”, in SBS Vietnamese, Special Broadcasting Service, retrieved 2020-03-19:

The Vietnam Foreign Ministry yesterday confirmed that 8,285 Vietnamese “are living, studying, and working” in the city of Daegu, the epicenter of a coronavirus outbreak in South Korea.

Italia bị dịch Coronavirus nặng nhất sau Trung Quốc.

2020 March 14, Trần Đức Anh, “Sinh hoạt Công Giáo đó đây trước nạn dịch Coronavirus [Catholic activities everywhere before the coronavirus outbreak]”, in Vatican News, Pontifical Council for Social Communications, retrieved 2020-03-19:

Italy suffered the worst coronavirus outbreak after China.


sim

cây (classifier)
枮 (CJK)
槮 (CJK)
𣑷 (CJK)

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa#Translingual


két

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

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


mồng tơi

[məwŋ͡m˨˩ təːj˧˧]

[məwŋ͡m˦˩ təːj˧˧]

[məwŋ͡m˨˩ təːj˧˧]


bò

From Proto-Vietic *bɔː (“zebu; bovine”). Probably ultimately of imitative origin.
Compare Vietnamese ụm bò (“moo”) and items such as Malay lembu, Khmu [Cuang] lmboʔ and Cebuano amba, which are superficially similar but lack straightforward correspondence with the Vietnamese word.

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

nuôi bò

chăn bò

thịt bò

bò vàng phương Nam

bò sữa


lim

kind of fine timber native to Vietnam (Erythrophleum fordii)


tru

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


râu

head

𫘼, 𩭶, 𩅺, 𩯁, 鬍

vi-noun

𫘼, 𩭶, 𩅺, 𩯁, 鬍

bộ (classifier)
𫘼 (CJK)
𩭶 (CJK)
𩅺 (CJK)
𩯁 (CJK)
鬍 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *-soː, from Old Chinese 鬚 (OC *C-[s.n]o) (B-S) (SV: tu). Cognate with Muong thô. Doublet of tua.

vuốt râu hùm

to mess around with someone powerful or dangerous (literally, “to rub a tiger's whiskers”)

(by extension, of another mammal) whiskers

Râu tôm nấu với ruột bầu.
Chồng chan vợ húp gật đầu khen ngon.
A broth of shrimp antennae and gourd core.
The man scoops it, the woman slurps it, both nod in satisfaction.

(by extension, of an arthropod) antennae


cú

From Proto-Vietic *kuːʔ, of imitative origin. Compare Proto-Tai *ɡawꟲ (“owl”) (whence Thai เค้า (káo), Lao ເຄົ້າ (khao)), Chinese 鵂 (OC *qʰ(r)u), 鴞 (OC *[ɢ]ʷ(r)aw) (B-S).


lau

From Proto-Vietic *k-luː, cognate with Arem alaw.

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


bê

thịt bê


hí

head

hí • (咥, 唏, 嘻)

vi-int

hí • (咥, 唏, 嘻)


hí

head

hí • (咥, 唏, 嘻)

vi-verb

hí • (咥, 唏, 嘻)


mái

gà mái

cá heo mái/cái

(of an animal with cá (“fish”) in its name, including cetaceans) female


mái

mái tóc bóng mượt


vang

(colloquial) Short for rượu vang (“wine”).


cà

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


bì

Sino-Vietnamese word from 皮 (“skin”).
For a parallel where a Sino-Vietnamese item acquires cookery denotation, see huyết (“blood curd”) (vs. native máu (“blood”)). For a reverse case, compare Sino-Vietnamese não vs. native óc.


báo

Sino-Vietnamese word from 豹 (“leopard”). Doublet of beo.


cò

head

𫛈, 𪂲, 鷺, 𪂮, 孤

cò • (𫛈, 𪂲, 鷺, 𪂮, 孤)

vi-noun

𫛈, 𪂲, 鷺, 𪂮, 孤

con (classifier)
𫛈 (CJK)
𪂲 (CJK)
鷺 (CJK)
𪂮 (CJK)
孤 (CJK)

For the "penis" sense, compare English cock, Chinese 鳥 /鸟 (điểu, “bird”) and 屌 (điểu, “penis”), Thai นกเขา (nók-kǎo, “pigeon, dove”). See also cu (“pigeon”), chim (“bird”).
For the "trigger" sense, compare Malay pelatuk (“woodpecker, trigger”), English cock (“hammer of firearm”).

Cò Lả "The Graceful Stork" (Red River Delta's folk-song), performance by Thu Huyền
Con cò, cò bay lả, lả bay la; bay từ là từ cửa phủ, bay ra là ra cánh đồng.
The stork flies gracefully from the palace's gate out into the field.

stork (large wading bird of the family Ciconiidae)


cò

Abbreviated from cò my xe, from French commissaire.
Doublet of cẩm (“‘chief of police’ > ‘police officer’ > ‘police’”), from the same French word.

Tú Xương, "Ông Cò (Mister Superintendent / Monsieur le Commissaire)", Thơ Trần Tế Xương; published in 1998 by NXB Văn hoá - Thông tin (Culture & Information Publisher)
Hà Nam danh giá nhất ông cò; Trông thấy ai ai chẳng dám ho.
Hà Nam's most honoured person, Monsieur le Commissaire; Upon seeing him, cough none dares.

(obsolete) chief of police, head of police, superintendent


hà

to exhale, to breathe out (through mouth)


bàng

Likely from Austronesian. Compare Malay ketapang.

Terminalia catappa
Terminalia catappa#Translingual


cáo

Cáo quần đảo Channel là loài cực kỳ nguy cấp.

The Channel Islands fox is critically endangered.


bù

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


chí

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

Có chí thì gãi.

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) head louse


còng

vi-noun

(classifier con) còng • (蚣) (phonemic reduplicative còng còng)

con (classifier)
蚣 (CJK)
còng còng (reduplication)


cún

Compare Chinese 犬 (OC *[k]ʷʰˤ[e][n]ʔ) (B-S).

IPAfont

*􂀿k􂁀ʷʰˤ􂀿e􂁀􂀿n􂁀ʔ

och-l

*􂀿k􂁀ʷʰˤ􂀿e􂁀􂀿n􂁀ʔ


gà

head

鷄, 雞, 猗, 鵸, 𤠄, 𪂮, 𪃴, 𪃿

gà • (鷄, 雞, 猗, 鵸, 𤠄, 𪂮, 𪃴, 𪃿)

vi-noun

鷄, 雞, 猗, 鵸, 𤠄, 𪂮, 𪃴, 𪃿

(classifier con) gà • (鷄, 雞, 猗, 鵸, 𤠄, 𪂮, 𪃴, 𪃿)

con (classifier)
鷄 (CJK)
雞 (CJK)
猗 (CJK)
鵸 (CJK)
𤠄 (CJK)
𪂮 (CJK)
𪃴 (CJK)
𪃿 (CJK)

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

From Proto-Vietic *r-kaː. Cognate with Muong Bi ca, Thavung กา. Compare Khmer រកា (rɔɔrɔkaa, “Year of the Rooster”).
The sense of "inexperienced" comes from a ranking in the video game Gunbound.

quote-web

2021 June 14, Mặt Trứng, “Phá đảo, gà, ra chợ và nguồn gốc của những thuật ngữ mà chỉ các game thủ thế hệ 8-9x mới hiểu được”, in GameK.vn:
Thế nên, ở thời điểm bấy giờ, nếu như gặp phải một đối thủ có hình "gà con" trong game, đa số người chơi đều mặc định luôn đó là những gã có kỹ năng tệ hại, và từ đó, thuật ngữ gà ra đời.
(please add an English translation of this quotation)

gà chọi

Khôn ngoan đối đáp người ngoài.
Gà cùng một mẹ chớ hoài đá nhau.
If you think you're so smart, engage outsiders.
We're chicks who share a mother, so don't fight each other.


gà

Gà lần nào cũng thua thì đánh làm gì.

Every time you/they up the ante, you/they lose, so why bother?

Để em nó tự làm toán, anh đừng gà cho nó.

Let him/her solve the math problem on his/her own; don't give the answer away.

to give away an answer (e.g., to a math exercise)


lài

vi-noun

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

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

trà lài

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) jasmine


lí

Syzygium jambos
Syzygium jambos#Translingual


nái

Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 巴乃 (MC pae nojX) (modern SV: ba nãi).

lợn/heo nái

(of a livestock mammal, usually a pig) female and kept for breeding


sú

head

sú • (藪, 醜, 薮, 櫢)

cây (classifier)
藪 (CJK)
醜 (CJK)
薮 (CJK)
櫢 (CJK)


sú

to knead (bread or cake dough) with water


táo

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

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

vi-etym-sino

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

Ziziphus mauritiana
Ziziphus mauritiana#Translingual

Ziziphus jujuba
Ziziphus jujuba#Translingual

Ziziphus nummularia
Wikispecies:Ziziphus nummularia

(rare) jujube (Ziziphus jujuba); jharber (Ziziphus nummularia)


trường

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

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

trường tiểu học/trung học cơ sở/trung học phổ thông/đại học

an elementary school/junior high/senior high/university

đến trường

to physically come to a school, not necessarily to study; (literary) to go to school

nhà trường

Mày đến trường làm gì ?
Học chứ gì ?
Why did you come to the school?
Why else, other than to go to school?

a school (an institution dedicated to teaching and learning)


trường

Sino-Vietnamese word from 長. Doublet of trưởng.

ngày trường

(literary or poetic, only in certain expressions) long


trường

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


mang

From Proto-Vietic *k-maːŋ; cognate with Muong mang and Chut [Rục] kumaːŋ¹. Compare Bahnar kơmang (“gill”), Khmu [Cuang] maːŋ ("gill").

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

mang nòng nọc


mang

hoang mang

puzzled; confused; unsettled; irresolute


mía

From Proto-Vietic *k-mɛːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *klmiəʔ. Cognate with Muong mỉa, Khmu klmeʔ and Eastern Lawa อเมะ, อมา-อิ, อแมะ.

máy xay nước mía


hua

Đôi khi bát úp không kín, ruồi dấm lọt vào đẻ trứng nở ra con hua tương trắng như đầu tăm, [...]

2021 May 28, Đỗ Đức, “Nghề làm tương [The sauce making profession]”, in Pháp luật Việt Nam:

Sometimes the bowls are not covered properly, allowing fruit flies to get through and lay eggs that spawn sauce maggots that are as white as the pointy end of a toothpick, …


nai

con (classifier)
狔 (CJK)
猍 (CJK)
𬸼 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *k-ɗeː. Cognate with Muong đai and Arem kadeː.


ô

The name of the Latin-script letter Ô/ô.


ô

The name of the Latin-script letter O/o.


ô

Khớp con ngựa ngựa ô. / Ngựa ô anh khớp, anh khớp cái kiệu vàng

(Can we date this quote?), “Lí ngựa ô [Ballad of the Black Horse]”:

Bridling a black horse. / The black horse he bridled, he bridled with a golden litter.

Khớp ! Khớp ! Khớp ! Khớp con ngựa ô, ngựa ô, ngựa ô!

(Can we date this quote?), Trần Tiến (lyrics and music), “Ngựa ô thương nhớ [Black Horse of Longing]”:

Bridle! Bridle! Bridle the black horse! The black horse! The black horse!


ô

ô trống

a blank (space to be filled in on a form or template)


miu

(rare) a pussy-cat (affectionate term for a cat)


đỉa

head

đỉa • (𧋘, 𧍉)

From Proto-Vietic *l-dɛh ~ *l-tɛh (“water leech”). Cognate with Muong tía, Thavung เต่ฮ, Arem tatah. Compare Pacoh itếh. Likely of Austronesian origin, compare Eastern Cham ꨤꨓꩍ/latah and Malay lintah.
Unrelated to Chinese 蛭 (MC tet) (SV: điệt).


cây

cái (classifier)
核 (CJK)
荄 (CJK)
𣘃 (CJK)

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

From Proto-Vietic *gəl ~ *kəl. Cognate with Central Vietnamese cân, Muong câl, cấl, Kha Phong kɨl². Related to cấy.
Various words with similar shape that have the meaning of "to fell trees" occur in many Austroasiatic branches, including Semai kòl, Temiar kel, Proto-Bahnaric *kal (whence Koho köl) and Proto-Katuic *kəl (whence Pacoh câl); all could be contributed to *kuəl ~ *kəl (“to cut down, fell”), which might be related to the root above. Alternatively, compare Proto-Khmuic *tŋkəl (“stump”) (whence Khmu [Cuang] tŋkɨl), Khmer គល់ (kŭəl), Mon ဓဂဵု.

Nhà tui cách Sài Gòn cỡ năm chục cây.
My house is about fifty kilometres from Sài Gòn.

(colloquial) Short for cây số (“kilometre/kimometer”).


cây

(music) Indicates string instruments and some other types of musical instruments


lạc đà

[laːk̚˧˨ʔ ʔɗaː˨˩]

[laːk̚˨˩ʔ ʔɗaː˦˩]

[laːk̚˨˩˨ ʔɗaː˨˩]

lạc đà một bướu

a dromedary (literally, “a one-humped camel”)

lạc đà hai bướu

a Bactrian camel (literally, “a two-humped camel”)

lạc đà "không bướu"


củ cải trắng

[ku˧˩ kaːj˧˩ t͡ɕaŋ˧˦]

[kʊw˧˨ kaːj˧˨ ʈaŋ˦˧˥]

[kʊw˨˩˦ kaːj˨˩˦ ʈaŋ˦˥]

daikon, the East Asian long white radish, particularly its Vietnamese varieties.


mè

head

mè • (𩹪, 䱊, 𩺍, 眉)

vi-noun

mè • (𩹪, 䱊, 𩺍, 眉)


ngò ôm

[ŋɔ˨˩ ʔom˧˧]

[ŋɔ˦˩ ʔom˧˧]

[ŋɔ˨˩ ʔom˧˧]

ngò + ôm (from Khmer ម្អម (mʼɑɑm)). Compare also mò om (“Limnophila aromatica”).

com

from Khmer <i class="Khmr mention" lang="km">ម្អម</i> (mʼɑɑm)

Limnophila aromatica, used in Vietnamese cuisine, particularly in the sour soup canh chua


thơm

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

(Southern Vietnam) species of pineapple commonly found in southern Vietnam


hột

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of hạt

hột vịt

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


dầu

Likely the same as etymology 1. Dipterocarpus spp. are oil producing plants.

Hết rừng dầu lại tới rừng cao su. Màu xanh lá dầu chỉ có thể so sánh với màu cao su vừa thay lá.

1978, Chu Lai, “Kết thúc”, in Nắng đồng bằng, NXB Quân đội Nhân dân:

After the Dipterocarpus forest came a forest of rubber trees. The green of Dipterocarpus leaves can only be compared to the color of rubber trees that just changed their foliage.


trứng

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

From Proto-Vietic *k-ləːŋʔ (“egg”). Cognate with Muong tlởng, Tho [Cuối Chăm] kləːŋ³.
Attested as tlứng, tlấng in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).
This term appears to be the original word for "egg" within Vietic. In the (usually more) archaic Vietic languages, it was displaced by *t-luːrʔ (> Arem ulʊːlʔ, Thavung ตะลู้น), which is an Austronesian loan (cf. Malay telur).
Similarity to Proto-Khmuic *kʔloŋ (“egg”), whence Puoc kloŋ and Khmu [Cuang] kdoŋ, is probably coincidental, since it involved both an irregular vowel correspondence and metathesis of the glottal stop.

an egg (body housing an embryo; egg of domestic fowl as food item; ovum)


chim cút

[t͡ɕim˧˧ kʊk̚˦˧˥]


mã

1915: Phan Kế Bính, "Tang ma" [Obsequies], Việt Nam phong tục [Vietnamese customs]

Some households burn joss paper at the house, while others burn it at the temple.

Nhà thì đốt mã tại gia, nhà thì đốt mã tại chùa.

đốt mã


chuối

Hôm qua rượu vào lỡ thú với người ta. Chuối quá đi mất!

I was so drunk up yesterday I confessed to her. Man, that's painful to think about!

Nó bày trò ảo thuật bài mà quên bỏ bài vào trong áo, thành thử khi lên diễn thì chuối cả nải luôn!

He wanted to do a card trick but forgot to hide cards in his jackets, so it was all out cringe when he went upstage!

(slang, Northern Vietnam) cringeworthy; cringy


tôm

con (classifier)
𩵽 (CJK)
沁 (CJK)
𱿜 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *soːm, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *sum ~ *suum (“shrimp, prawn”). Cognate with Muong Bi thôm, Kri ʃo̰m and Pacoh axoum (“shrimp”).


dó

head

dó • (柚, 楮, 𣜴, 𦾤)

cây (classifier)
柚 (CJK)
楮 (CJK)
𣜴 (CJK)
𦾤 (CJK)

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 楮 (“paper mulberry”, SV: chử)

Broussonetia papyrifera
Broussonetia papyrifera#Translingual

paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera)


cau

head

榚, 槁, 槔, 橰, 构

vi-noun

榚, 槁, 槔, 橰, 构

(classifier cây, trái) cau • (榚, 槁, 槔, 橰, 构)

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
榚 (CJK)
槁 (CJK)
槔 (CJK)
橰 (CJK)
构 (CJK)


dừa

(classifier cây, trái, quả) dừa • (梌, 椰)

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
梌 (CJK)
椰 (CJK)

Compare 椰 (MC yae) (SV: da), itself only attested since the Jin dynasty.


dừa

Bè ngổ đi trước, bè dừa đi sau

water primrose, especially Ludwigia adscendens


sữa

From Proto-Vietic *p-rah. Cognate with Muong khã, Nguôn [Cổ Liêm] rả.
Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as ⿰呂巴, composed of 巴 (MC pae) + 呂 (MC ljoX) (modern SV: ba lã), ⿰呂巨, composed of 巨 (MC gjoX) + 呂 (MC ljoX) (modern SV: cự lã) and 呂 (MC ljoX) (modern SV: lã).

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

sữa bò

sữa bột

sữa chua

Sữa mẹ là nguồn dinh dưỡng tốt nhất cho sự phát triển của trẻ sơ sinh và trẻ nhỏ.

Mothers' milk is the optimal nutrient for their newborns' and/or infants' development.

milk (white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals to nourish their young)


sữa

From etym 1. Semantically, compare English milkwood, so called because of its milky sap.

Alstonia scholaris
Alstonia scholaris#Translingual


vú

head

vú • (乳, 布, 咘, 𦜘)

vi-noun

vú • (乳, 布, 咘, 𦜘)

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

From Proto-Vietic *k-buːʔ, the prefixed deriviate of Proto-Vietic *buːʔ ~ ʔuːʔ (“to suck at breast”). Cognate with Muong Bi pủ (“breast”). Related to bú (“to suckle”), which derived from the bare root.
Attested as ꞗú in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

inh

*buːʔ ~ ʔuːʔ

– Vú em! / – Dạ. / – Sao vú cứ hát nhảm thế? Ru bài khác không được à?

1934, Nguyễn Công Hoan, chapter I, in Lá ngọc cành vàng, Tân Dân:

"Wet nurse!" "Yes." "Why does wet nurse sing such stupidities? Can't you sing another lullaby?"


cám

From Proto-Vietic *t-kaːmʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *skaamʔ (Shorto). Cognate with Pacoh acam, Bolyu qam⁵³, Mon ကာံ (kam), Riang kʰɑm¹.

Cám lợn chẳng có gì phức tạp. Lợn là loài ăn tạp, cái gì cũng ăn.

There's nothing complicated about pigswill. They're omnivores, they eat anything.

Cho cổ đồ thừa để cổ nấu cám heo.

Give her the leftovers so she can cook some pigswill.


cám

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 感 (SV: cảm).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(only in compounds) to be moved with compassion; to feel pity


bong bóng

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˦]

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɔŋ˧˧ ʔɓɔŋ˦˧˥]

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˥]

bong bóng cá


bông

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


hoa

Sino-Vietnamese word from 花. The "capital" sense probably comes from the flourishes of the cursive capital letters that are commonly taught in elementary schools; even cursive lower-case letters don't have as many flourishes, which explains the distinction.
The form ba is attested in some Central dialects, most notably from the placename Đông Ba.

cánh hoa


cải

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 芥 (“mustard”, SV: giới).
From Proto-Vietic *kaːs, borrowed from a post-Old Chinese form. Cognate with Muong cái and Thavung kajh¹.

der

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

vi-etym-sino

cruciferous vegetables (Brassica): coles, mustards, cabbages, radishes, etc.


quả

Sino-Vietnamese word from 果 (“fruit”).
Displaced native giái in the more prestigious inland Northern dialects sometime before the colonial period, likely due to the homophony with dái (“testicles”), eventually also displaced lái from the less prestigious coastal Northern dialects. Southern trái was borrowed as part of certain compounds, such as Trái Đất.
The adverbial sense might be a clipping of quả thật/quả thực.

quả trầu

(Northern Vietnam) round, painted casket (i.e., a jewelry box) with a lid


trái cây

[t͡ɕaːj˧˦ kəj˧˧]

[ʈaːj˨˩˦ kəj˧˧]

[ʈaːj˦˥ kəj˧˧]

From trái (“fruit”) + cây (“plant, tree”).


trái

From Proto-Vietic *k-laːjʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *klaj(ʔ) ~ *klaaj(ʔ) (“to change”), cognate with Muong tlải, Tho [Cuối Chăm] klaːj³, Khmer ក្លាយ (klaay, “to change”), Mon ကၠဲာ (klai, “to translate”). Compare also Thai กลาย (glaai), Lao ກາຍ (kāi).

nắng trái tiết

unseasonably sunny (literally, “sunny despite the climate”)

trái nghĩa

trái với quan niệm thông thường


trái

head

𢁑, 𣛤, 𣡙, 𣡚, 𧀞

vi-noun

𢁑, 𣛤, 𣡙, 𣡚, 𧀞

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

gài trái


sa kê

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

[ʂaː˧˧ kej˧˧]

[ʂaː˧˧ kej˧˧]

Possibly borrowed from Thai สาเก (sǎa-gee) “breadfruit”, from Tamil சக்கை (cakkai) or Malayalam ചക്ക (cakka) “jackfruit”. Cognate with Portuguese jaca (“jackfruit”) and French jaque (“jackfruit”).


húng quế

[hʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ kwej˨˩˦]

From húng + quế, literally “cinnamon/cassia basil”

com

Thai basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora)


rau răm

[ʐaw˧˧ ʐam˧˧]

Vietnamese coriander
Vietnamese coriander

an herb of species Persicaria odorata, used in Vietnamese cuisine; also called Vietnamese coriander


rau muống

[ʐaw˧˧ muəŋ˦˧˥]

[ɹa(ː)w˧˧ muəŋ˦˥]

From rau (“vegetable”) + muống, the latter from Proto-Vietic *ɓɔːŋʔ. Compare also Thai บุ้ง (bûng).

Ipomoea aquatica
Ipomoea aquatica#Translingual

water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), a green leafy vegetable used as a food in several cuisines of East and Southeast Asia


ổi

→ Tai Dam: ꪮ꫁ꪺꪥ

From Proto-Vietic *k-ʔoːs, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *pʔus ~ *pʔuus; cognate with Muong ối, Koho pö'ous, Mang ʔuːj⁶.


vịt

con (classifier)
鴨 (CJK)
𩿠 (CJK)
𪆧 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *viːt (“duck”).
Alves (2015) suggests a Proto-Tai origin. Compare Proto-Tai *pitᴰ, and Proto-Hlai *ɓit, Proto-Ong-Be *ɓitD1.

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

duck (aquatic bird of the family Anatidae)


vịt

The fact that the shape of the vessel resembles a duck. Semantically, compare ngỗng.

vịt dầu

vịt nước mắm


quỳnh

Ta mang cho em một đóa quỳnh; quỳnh thơm hay môi em thơm

1974, Trịnh Công Sơn (lyrics and music), “Quỳnh Hương (Ephyllium)”:

I've brought you an epiphyllum blossom; the fragrance, is it the epiphyllum’s or your lips’?


hồng

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

Sino-Vietnamese word from 紅 (“red”).
Semantic shift like this can be seen with other Sino-Vietnamese items that did not displace native terms but were nevertheless borrowed, see trúc (“Phyllostachys spp.”), huyết (“blood curd”).

Theo ghi nhận của PV, hồng chín có lẽ là một trong những món ăn khoái khẩu của loài dơi. Tại nhiều khu vườn, những trái hồng chín căng mọng đều bị dơi cạp lỗ chỗ.

2022, Võ Tùng, “Nông dân khổ sở vì dơi phá hoại mùa hồng [Farmers in Anguish as Bats Ruin the Persimmon Harvest]”, in Báo Pháp Luật TP. Hồ Chí Minh [Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper]:

As noted by this reporter, ripe persimmons are possibly among bats' favorite foods. In many gardens, ripe, plump, and juicy persimmon fruits are all bitten full of holes by bats.

Diospyros kaki
Diospyros kaki#Translingual


nấm hương

[nəm˧˦ hɨəŋ˧˧]

[nəm˦˧˥ hɨəŋ˧˧]

[nəm˦˥ hɨəŋ˧˧]

nấm (“mushroom”) + hương (“fragrance”). Compare Japanese 香茸 (kōtake).


nấm

From Proto-Vietic *ɗəmʔ. Cognate with Nguôn đấm and Tho [Cuối Chăm] dʌm³.

nấm tràm

Tylopilus felleus, a bitter but edible mushroom

bị nấm chân/đầu

to have a fungal infection on your feet/legs/scalp


củ năng

[kʊw˧˨ naŋ˧˧]

[kʊw˨˩˦ naŋ˧˧]

Eleocharis dulcis
Eleocharis dulcis#Translingual


táo tàu

vi-noun

(classifier quả, trái, cây) táo tàu • (棗艚)

quả (classifier)
trái (classifier)
cây (classifier)
棗艚 (CJK)


đu đủ

head

đu đủ • (𣛦𨇜)

vi-noun

(classifier cây, trái, quả) đu đủ • (𣛦𨇜)

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
𣛦𨇜 (CJK)

[ʔɗu˧˧ ʔɗu˧˩]

[ʔɗʊw˧˧ ʔɗʊw˧˨]

[ʔɗʊw˧˧ ʔɗʊw˨˩˦]


sóc

From Proto-Vietic *prɔːk, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *prɔɔk. Cognate with Khmer កំប្រុក (kɑmprok), Bahnar prok, Khmu [Cuang] pʰrɔːk.
Attested as sóc in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

[ʂawk͡p̚˦˧˥]


tiêu

(cooking) several plants – of the genus Xanthoxylum and the family Piperaceae – which are used as spices; pepper (excluding chilli pepper)


ớt

head

ớt • (艺, 𣜶, 乙, 𱾨)

vi-noun

(classifier cây, quả, trái) ớt • (艺, 𣜶, 乙, 𱾨)

cây (classifier)
quả (classifier)
trái (classifier)
艺 (CJK)
𣜶 (CJK)
乙 (CJK)
𱾨 (CJK)

→ Tai Dam: ꪹꪮꪒ

Köhler's Medicinal Plants
Neo-Latin
Pigneau de Béhaine
Piper cubeba
referent

From Proto-Vietic *ʔəːt.
Pigneau de Béhaine's Dictionarium anamitico-latinum (1772 manuscript) glosses ớt as pimentum https://archive.org/details/DictionariumAnamiticoLatinumPigneaux/Dictionarium%20Anamitico-Latinum%20-%201772%2C%20P.J.%20Pigneaux/page/n395/mode/2up, a Neo-Latin derivation from French piment (“‘spice’ → ‘chilli pepper’”).
Phạm Đình Hổ's 1827 dictionary Nhật dụng thường đàm (日用常談 "Common Words Used Daily") glosses ớt 乙 as 蓽䔲茄 (SV: tất đăng gia; "tailed pepper, cubeb, Piper cubeba") https://web.archive.org/web/20230721133650/http://www.nomfoundation.org/common/show.php?detail=1202&uiLang=en, also called tiêu thất in Vietnamese; so that plant was probably ớt’s original referent before the introduction of chilli pepper from the Americas.

Lý hạng ca dao 里巷歌謠 (Folk-ballads from the hamlets and alleys), 50a
艺𱜢𱺵艺𫽄𨐮
𡛔𱜢𱺵𡛔𫽄𫨩悭𫯳
Ớt nào là ớt chẳng cay?
Gái nào là gái chẳng hay ghen chồng?
Which tailed pepper (berry) / cubeb (berry) is not spicy?
Which wife is not often possessive of her husband?

(obsolete) tailed pepper, cubeb (Piper cubeba)


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)


gián

con (classifier)
間 (CJK)
諫 (CJK)
𧍴 (CJK)
𫋨 (CJK)

Cognate with Muong Bi chản chản, Tho [Cuối Chăm] caːn³ ("centipede").

bốn loài trung gian truyền bệnh: ruồi, muỗi, gián, chuột

the four (major) groups of disease carriers: flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, rats and mice


sâu bọ

head

sâu bọ • (螻蜅)

vi-noun

sâu bọ • (螻蜅)

[səw˧˧ ʔɓɔ˧˨ʔ]

[ʂəw˧˧ ʔɓɔ˨˩ʔ]

[səw˧˧ ʔɓɔ˨˩ʔ]

[ʂəw˧˧ ʔɓɔ˨˩˨]

[səw˧˧ ʔɓɔ˨˩˨]


côn trùng

[kon˧˧ t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

[koŋ˧˧ ʈʊwŋ͡m˦˩]

[koŋ˧˧ ʈʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 昆蟲, composed of 昆 (“swarming; proliferating; infesting”) and 蟲 (“animal”).


súng

cây (classifier)
khẩu (classifier)
𭴤 (CJK)


cừu

Sino-Vietnamese word from 裘 (“fur coat”). Semantically parallel to chiên (“lamb, young sheep (archaic)”) from 氈 (“felt (textile material)”).

cừu cái

cừu đực

áo lông cừu


chuột

[t͡ɕuət̚˧˨ʔ]

[t͡ɕuək̚˨˩ʔ]

From Proto-Vietic *k-ɟɔːt. Cognate with Arem kaɟuət. See also Khmer ជូត (cuut, “Year of the Rat”) (whence also Thai ชวด (chûuat) through Old Khmer), which is a loan from a Vietic language.
Attested as chuọt in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).
For the "biceps" sense, compare the parallels in Latin mūsculus (“muscle”, literally “little mouse”) and Ancient Greek μῦς (mûs, “mouse; muscle”).
The computing sense is a semantic loan from English mouse.

ncog

bẫy chuột


gặm nhấm

[ɣam˧˨ʔ ɲəm˧˦]

[ɣam˨˩ʔ ɲəm˦˧˥]

[ɣam˨˩˨ ɲəm˦˥]

From gặm + nhấm, referring to the behaviour of wearing out teeth by grinding.


chim công

[t͡ɕim˧˧ kəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[t͡ɕim˧˧ kəwŋ͡m˧˧]


cá

head

cá • (𩵜, 亇, 个)

con (classifier)
𩵜 (CJK)
亇 (CJK)
个 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *ʔa-kaːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kaʔ. Cognate with Thavung ก้า, Khmer កា (kaa, “prefix for fish”), Pacoh aca, Bahnar ka, Mang ʔaː¹, Khasi 'kha/dohkha, Mon က (kaˀ), Car Nicobarese kāḵ.

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

Cá heo và cá voi không phải là cá.


cua

theo học một cua ngoại ngữ

Học mỗi cua ba tháng.

(informal) period, term, round (period of time required to complete a task)


trăn

From Proto-Vietic *k-lən, from Proto-Austroasiatic *tlan; cognates include Muong tlăn, Pacoh tulán, Khmer ថ្លាន់ (thlan, “python”), Bahnar klăn (“python”), Mon ကၠန် (klɔn, “python”), Car Nicobarese tu-lān (“python”).
Attested as tlan in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

a non-venomous constricting snake, as opposed to a rắn (“non-constricting snake”); a python, a boa, an anaconda, etc.


cá sấu

[kaː˧˦ səw˧˦]

[kaː˨˩˦ ʂəw˨˩˦]

[kaː˨˩˦ səw˨˩˦]

[kaː˦˥ ʂəw˦˥]

[kaː˦˥ səw˦˥]

cá (“fish”) + sấu (“crocodile”).
Not etymologically related to xấu (“ugly”), which is sometimes considered as connected due to folk etymology.

(figurative, slang, a play on sấu ~ xấu (“ugly”)) ugly person


gạo

From Proto-Vietic *r-koːʔ (“husked rice”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *rk(aw)ʔ (“husked rice”). Cognate with Muong cảo, Khmer អង្ករ (ʼɑɑʼɑngkɑɑ, “uncooked, dehusked rice”), Khasi khaw, Chong rəkʰəw and Gata' rekoˀ ("uncooked rice"). According to Sagart (2003), Proto-Tai *C̬.qawꟲ (“rice”), whence Thai ข้าว (kâao), Lao ເຂົ້າ (khao), Lü ᦃᧁᧉ (ẋaw²), was borrowed from Austroasiatic.

cog

Lü ᦃᧁᧉ (ẋaw²)


nấm tuyết

[nəm˦˧˥ twiək̚˦˧˥]

[nəm˦˥ t⁽ʷ⁾iək̚˦˥]

Tremella fuciformis
Tremella fuciformis#Translingual


măng

From Proto-Vietic *t-ɓaŋ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *t₁ɓaŋ. Cognate with Muong băng, Thavung บัง, Pacoh abáng, Khmer ទំពាំង (tumpĕəng), Bahnar tơ'băng, Mang ɓaŋ⁶, Mon တ္ၜၚ် (bɛŋ).
Proto-Karen *Ɂbaŋᴮ (whence S'gaw Karen ဘီၣ် (baẁ)) is an Austroasiatic loanword.

Mon တ္ၜၚ် (bɛŋ)


măng

Mon တ္ၜၚ် (bɛŋ)

(only in a few compounds) very young; juvenile


mộc nhĩ

[məwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ ɲi˦ˀ˥]

[məwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ ɲɪj˧˨]

[məwk͡p̚˨˩˨ ɲɪj˨˩˦]


cà rốt

[kaː˨˩ ɹot̚˧˦]

[kaː˦˩ ɹok̚˦˧˥]

[kaː˨˩ ɹok̚˦˥]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-cà-rốt.wav

Borrowed from French carotte. Influenced by cà (“eggplant”), compare cà phê.


bí đao

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

[ʔɓi˧˦ ʔɗaːw˧˧]

[ʔɓɪj˨˩˦ ʔɗaːw˧˧]

[ʔɓɪj˦˥ ʔɗaːw˧˧]

It is not clear what the second element is. In Nhật dụng thường đàm (日用常談, 1827) and the Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1838), bí đao was spelled as 秘刀 and 費刀 respectively. In both cases, the second element is spelled with 刀 (MC taw, “blade”) (SV: đao), which makes little sense if taken literally ("knife gourd" or "sword gourd"), so it is most likely a phonogram used simply for phonetic value (just like the adjacent phonograms 秘 (MC pijH) and 費 (MC phj+jH) used to write bí (“gourd”)).
Considering that winter melon/wax gourd is commonly used to make sweets (Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị (1895) mentions mứt bí (“candied winter melon”)), the second element could be related to Arem atɛːw, Pacoh atao, Bahnar kơtao, all means "sugarcane"; if so, probably developed already into "sugary sweet" when this compound was coined, then became obscure.

費 Bí. n. Loại dây xanh trái lớn.
 ― đao. Thứ bí dài trái, da xanh, người ta hay dùng mà làm mứt.

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

費 Bí. n. Green vines that produce big fruits.
 ― đao. A kind of gourd with long fruit, its skin is green, it is often used to make mứt.

Benincasa hispida
Benincasa hispida#Translingual


gừng

head

薑, 姜, 羌, 𤃥, 𦹱

vi-noun

薑, 姜, 羌, 𤃥, 𦹱

(classifier cây, củ) gừng • (薑, 姜, 羌, 𤃥, 𦹱)

cây (classifier)
củ (classifier)
薑 (CJK)
姜 (CJK)
羌 (CJK)
𤃥 (CJK)
𦹱 (CJK)


khoai tây

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-khoai tây.wav

Audio (Hà Nội)

khoai (a collective name for yams, sweet potatoes, etc.) + tây (“western”).


mướp

head

mướp • (柉, 𦲾)

vi-noun

(classifier cây, trái, quả) mướp • (柉, 𦲾)

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
柉 (CJK)
𦲾 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *ɓɨǝp. Compare Muong puôp (“loofah”) and Tho (Làng Lỡ) mɨəp⁷ "loofah".


nấm rơm

[nəm˧˦ zəːm˧˧]

[nəm˦˧˥ ʐəːm˧˧]

[nəm˦˥ ɹəːm˧˧]


khoai sọ

[xwaːj˧˧ sɔ˧˨ʔ]

[kʰwaːj˧˧ ʂɔ˨˩ʔ]

[xwaːj˧˧ sɔ˨˩ʔ]

[kʰwaːj˧˧ ʂɔ˨˩˨]

[xwaːj˧˧ sɔ˨˩˨]

From khoai + sọ, from Proto-Vietic *s-roːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *t₁rawʔ ~ *t₁raaw; akin to Khmer ត្រាវ (traaw), Mon ကြဴ (krao), Khasi shriew/'riew, Proto-Khmuic *sroʔ.


khoai môn

From khoai + môn, from Proto-Vietic *ɓoːn.


khoai nước

[xwaːj˧˧ nɨək̚˧˦]

[kʰwaːj˧˧ nɨək̚˦˧˥]

[xwaːj˧˧ nɨək̚˦˧˥]

[kʰwaːj˧˧ nɨək̚˦˥]

[xwaːj˧˧ nɨək̚˦˥]


khoai lang

[kʰwaːj˧˧ laːŋ˧˧]

[kʰwaːj˧˧ laːŋ˧˧]


rau lang

[ʐaw˧˧ laːŋ˧˧]

[ɹa(ː)w˧˧ laːŋ˧˧]


cà chua

[kaː˨˩ t͡ɕuə˧˧]

[kaː˦˩ t͡ɕuə˧˧]

[kaː˨˩ cuə˧˧]

cà (“any plant in the family Solanaceae”) + chua (“sour”). Compare Burmese ခရမ်းချဉ် (hka.ram:hkyany).


hoa kim châm

[hwaː˧˧ kim˧˧ t͡ɕəm˧˧]

[hwaː˧˧ kim˧˧ t͡ɕəm˧˧]

hoa ("flower") + kim ("golden") + châm ("needle"); from Sino-Vietnamese 金針花


hàu

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 蠔 (“oyster”, SV: hào).


sơn tra

[səːn˧˧ t͡ɕaː˧˧]

[ʂəːŋ˧˧ ʈaː˧˧]

[səːŋ˧˧ ʈaː˧˧]

[ʂəːŋ˧˧ ʈaː˧˧]

[səːŋ˧˧ ʈaː˧˧]

hawthorn (plants in the genus Crataegus)


chà là

[t͡ɕaː˨˩ laː˨˩]

[t͡ɕaː˦˩ laː˦˩]

[caː˨˩ laː˨˩]


ngò

cây (classifier)
吾 (CJK)
𦬶 (CJK)
莪 (CJK)
䓊 (CJK)


ngò gai

[ŋɔ˨˩ ɣaːj˧˧]

[ŋɔ˦˩ ɣaːj˧˧]

[ŋɔ˨˩ ɣaːj˧˧]

ngò (“cilantro”) + gai (“thorn, prickle”).

com

Eryngium foetidum
Eryngium foetidum#Translingual


vú sữa

[vu˧˦ sɨə˦ˀ˥]

[vʊw˨˩˦ ʂɨə˧˨]

[vʊw˨˩˦ sɨə˧˨]

[vʊw˦˥ ʂɨə˨˩˦]

[jʊw˦˥ sɨə˨˩˦]

vú (“breast”) + sữa (“milk”), perhaps inspired by a folktale about a mother who turned into this tree, or inspires it.

Chrysophyllum cainito
Chrysophyllum cainito#Translingual

the star apple fruit, Chrysophyllum cainito


trứng gà

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

[t͡ɕɨŋ˧˦ ɣaː˨˩]

[ʈɨŋ˦˧˥ ɣaː˦˩]

[ʈɨŋ˦˥ ɣaː˨˩]

trái trứng gà
a canistel

cây trứng gà

the canistel, a tropical fruit (Pouteria campechiana)


hoa lơ

[hwaː˧˧ ləː˧˧]

[hwaː˧˧ ləː˧˧]

[waː˧˧ ləː˧˧]

hoa ("flower") + lơ (prob. a phonetic borrowing from French fleur); the word is probably derived from the French chou-fleur (cauliflower; literally "flower cabbage")


hoa lơ trắng

[hwaː˧˧ ləː˧˧ t͡ɕaŋ˧˦]

[hwaː˧˧ ləː˧˧ ʈaŋ˦˧˥]

[waː˧˧ ləː˧˧ ʈaŋ˦˥]

hoa ("flower") + lơ (prob. a phonetic borrowing from French fleur) + trắng ("white"); the word is probably derived from the French chou-fleur (cauliflower; literally "flower cabbage")


bông cải trắng

[ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧ kaːj˧˩ t͡ɕaŋ˧˦]

[ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧ kaːj˧˨ ʈaŋ˦˧˥]

[ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧ kaːj˨˩˦ ʈaŋ˦˥]

bông (“bloom, flower”) + cải + trắng (“white”).


nấm mèo

[nəm˧˦ mɛw˨˩]

[nəm˦˧˥ mɛw˦˩]

[nəm˦˥ mɛw˨˩]


mèo

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

Onomatopoeic, from the animal's cry. Compare Khasi miaw, Ahom 𑜈𑜢𑜈𑜫 (biw), Chinese 貓 /猫, Thai แมว (mɛɛo), Northern Thai ᨾᩯ᩠ᩅ, Lao ແມວ (mǣu), Lü ᦶᦙᧁ (maew), Shan မႅဝ်း (méao), Zhuang meuz.


mộc nhĩ đen

[məwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ ɲi˦ˀ˥ ʔɗɛn˧˧]

[məwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ ɲɪj˧˨ ʔɗɛŋ˧˧]

[məwk͡p̚˨˩˨ ɲɪj˨˩˦ ʔɗɛŋ˧˧]


bắp

vi-noun

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

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

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


bắp non

[ʔɓap̚˧˦ nɔn˧˧]

[ʔɓap̚˦˧˥ nɔŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓap̚˦˥ nɔŋ˧˧]


cải bẹ xanh

[kaːj˧˩ ʔɓɛ˧˨ʔ sajŋ̟˧˧]

[kaːj˧˨ ʔɓɛ˨˩ʔ sɛɲ˧˧]

[kaːj˨˩˦ ʔɓɛ˨˩˨ san˧˧]

cải (“Brassica”) + bẹ (“sheath”) + xanh (“grue”).

com

Brassica juncea
Brassica juncea#Translingual

brown mustard; Indian mustard (Brassica juncea)


trống

Cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] kʰrɔːŋ³. Compare sống as in the compound sống mái.
The form sống was attested in numerous texts written in the Northern dialects well into the early 20th century, although just primarily in gà sống. The ‹s-›-‹tr-› correspondence indicates that the now dominant form trống originated from the North Central region (compare pairs such as sừng vs. trừng (“horn”), sâu vs. trâu (“caterpillar”), sành vs. trèng (“terracotta”)).

[t͡ɕəwŋ͡m˧˦]

gà trống

cá heo trống/đực

(of an animal with cá (“fish”) in its name, including cetaceans) male


trống

head

𤿰, 𫪹, 𪔠, 弄, 𲎚

vi-noun

𤿰, 𫪹, 𪔠, 弄, 𲎚

(classifier cái, chiếc) trống • (𤿰, 𫪹, 𪔠, 弄, 𲎚)

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
𤿰 (CJK)
𫪹 (CJK)
𪔠 (CJK)
弄 (CJK)
𲎚 (CJK)

Borrowed from Tai. Compare Thai กลอง (glɔɔng) and Lao ກອງ (kǭng).

[t͡ɕəwŋ͡m˧˦]


chim sẻ

[t͡ɕim˧˧ sɛ˧˩]

[t͡ɕim˧˧ ʂɛ˧˨]

[t͡ɕim˧˧ sɛ˧˨]

[cim˧˧ ʂɛ˨˩˦]

[cim˧˧ sɛ˨˩˦]


chim

From Proto-Vietic *-ciːm, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *cim ~ *ciim ~ *ciəm ~ *caim ~ *cum (“bird”). Cognate with Bahnar sem (“bird”), Mang θɤm⁶, Mon ဂစေံ (“bird”), Pear cʰem, Kháng [Tuần Giáo] cem³²³, Khasi sim, Semai chèèp, Santali ᱥᱤᱢ (sim, “chicken”).

inh

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


sáo

con (classifier)
𪁎 (CJK)
𪄤 (CJK)
𪄨 (CJK)
𪇐 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *k-raːwʔ.
Compare Pacoh trao (“myna”).

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


hươu cao cổ

[hɨəw˧˧ kaːw˧˧ kow˨˩˦]

hươu (“deer”) + cao (“tall; high”) + cổ (“neck”), literally "long-necked deer". Likely a calque of Chinese 長頸鹿 /长颈鹿 (chángjǐnglù).


hươu

head

hươu • (㹯, 貅, 休)

con (classifier)
㹯 (CJK)
貅 (CJK)
休 (CJK)


muỗi

From Proto-Vietic *mɔːs (“mosquito; fly”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *muujs ~ *muə[j]s (“mosquito; gnat”). Cognate with Muong mõi, Khmer មូស (muuh), Phong-Kniang moːs ("fly") and Bahnar moih.

inh

(Chuyện con) muỗi!

mõi

no diphthongization, dialects without ngã-nặng merger

mọi

no diphthongization, dialects with ngã-nặng merger


bọ chét

[ʔɓɔ˧˨ʔ t͡ɕɛt̚˧˦]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ʔ t͡ɕɛt̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩˨ cɛk̚˦˥]

bọ (“bug”) + chét; the second element from Proto-Vietic *cɛːt.

a flea (a parasitic insect of the order Siphonaptera)


chó

head

㹥, 𤝹, 𤠚, 𦢞, 犬

vi-noun

㹥, 𤝹, 𤠚, 𦢞, 犬

con (classifier)
㹥 (CJK)
𤝹 (CJK)
𤠚 (CJK)
𦢞 (CJK)
犬 (CJK)
thằng (classifier)
con (classifier)

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

From Proto-Vietic *ʔa-cɔːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *cɔʔ (“dog”); cognate with Semai co (“dog, servant, slave”), Halang chô (“dog”), Pacoh acho (“dog”), Khmu sɔʔ and Mang θɔː¹. Compare also Khmer ច (cɑɑ, “Year of the Dog”), a borrowing from Vietic.

Chó là động vật đầu tiên được thuần hoá.

(vulgar) loại chó (má)


như nước đổ đầu vịt

head

như nước đổ đầu vịt

vi-phrase

như nước đổ đầu vịt

[ɲɨ˧˧ nɨək̚˧˦ ʔɗo˧˩ ʔɗəw˨˩ vit̚˧˨ʔ]

[ɲɨ˧˧ nɨək̚˦˧˥ ʔɗow˧˨ ʔɗəw˦˩ vit̚˨˩ʔ]

[ɲɨ˧˧ nɨək̚˦˥ ʔɗow˨˩˦ ʔɗəw˨˩ vɨt̚˨˩˨]

[ɲɨ˧˧ nɨək̚˦˥ ʔɗow˨˩˦ ʔɗəw˨˩ jɨt̚˨˩˨]

like water off a duck's back
like water off a duck's back

(figurative) like water off a duck's back.


đương quy

[ʔɗɨəŋ˧˧ kwi˧˧]

[ʔɗɨəŋ˧˧ kwɪj˧˧]

[ʔɗɨəŋ˧˧ wɪj˧˧]

A. sinensis
Angelica sinensis#Translingual

various plants of the genus Angelica (esp. A. sinensis and A. polymorpha)


nấm linh chi

[nəm˧˦ lïŋ˧˧ t͡ɕi˧˧]

[nəm˦˧˥ lɨn˧˧ t͡ɕɪj˧˧]

[nəm˦˥ lɨn˧˧ cɪj˧˧]

nấm + linh chi, the second element is the Sino-Vietnamese word from 靈芝.

Ganoderma lucidum
Ganoderma lucidum#Translingual

Ganoderma lucidum (a mushroom used in traditional Asian medicine)


bầu

head

bầu • (蔀, ⿱艹瓿)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 匏 (“gourd”, SV: biều, bào).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">biều, bào</i>

vi-etym-sino

Lagenaria siceraria
Lagenaria siceraria#Translingual

Lagenaria siceraria (calabash vine, bottle gourd)

(by extension) Any plant of genus Lagenaria

Various varieties of Oryza sativa rice that are usually planted as lúa Chiêm in deep paddies, and are relatively colorful, rather strong, and can be planted in paddies high in alum, for red rice or low-quality rice.


bầu

head

bầu • (蔀, ⿱艹瓿)

quả (classifier)
trái (classifier)
蔀 (CJK)

gourd (hard-shelled fruit from a plant in Lagenaria)

gourd (dried and hardened shell of a gourd fruit)


buồng trứng

[ʔɓuəŋ˨˩ t͡ɕɨŋ˧˦]

[ʔɓuəŋ˦˩ ʈɨŋ˦˧˥]

[ʔɓuəŋ˨˩ ʈɨŋ˦˥]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-buồng trứng.wav


lúa mạch

[luə˧˦ majk̟̚˧˨ʔ]

[luə˨˩˦ mat̚˨˩ʔ]

[luə˦˥ mat̚˨˩˨]


nòng nọc

[nɔŋ˦˩ nawk͡p̚˨˩ʔ]

See nọc nọc.
From *nọc. This term clearly follows the pattern of reduplication in Vietnamese. Compare ròng rọc.


tép

From French trèfle (literally “clovers”).

Alternative form of nhép (“clubs”) (one of the four suits of playing cards, marked with the symbol ♣)


chiên

Sino-Vietnamese word from 氈 (“felt (textile material)”). Semantically parallel to cừu (“sheep”) from 裘 (“fur coat”).

vi-etym-sino

[…] nhất thời không sao hiểu được, ngồi xếp bằng xuống tấm nệm lông chiên dưới đất.

2005, chapter 37, in Cao Tự Thanh, transl., Anh hùng xạ điêu, Văn học, translation of 射雕英雄传 by Jīn Yōng (Kim Dung):

[…] for the moment he had no way of understanding it; he sat down cross-legged onto the sheepskin cushion on the ground.

(archaic, now only in compounds) lamb; young sheep


chiên

Tấm đắp duy nhất của cụ là một chiếc chăn chiên, lâu ngày những sợi bông rụng dần, còn lại chủ yếu là những sợi chỉ, căng lên trông như mắt lưới.

2009, Bùi Thanh Minh, chapter 3, in Cõi đời hư thực, NXB Hà Nội:

His only cover was an imitation fur blanket; the cotton fiber had started coming loose a long time ago and what was left was mostly thread: spread out it looked like a net.


hoa hồng

[hwaː˧˧ həwŋ͡m˨˩]

[hwaː˧˧ həwŋ͡m˦˩]

[waː˧˧ həwŋ͡m˨˩]


bơ

head

bơ • (巴,吧,𠀧,𪩬)

vi-verb

bơ • (巴,吧,𠀧,𪩬)


trâu

con (classifier)
𤛠 (CJK)
𬌥 (CJK)
㺏 (CJK)
𤠋 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *c-luː. Cognate with North Central Vietnamese tru, Muong tlu, Old Mon jlow (“ox, bull, cattle”) (whence Mon ဂၠဴ, Nyah Kur chǝlòw), Mang løː⁶ and Phong-Kniang jlǝːw.
Attested as Northern Middle Vietnamese tlâu in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651). The modern North Central forms are not reflexes of this form, but descended from an unattested non-Northern Middle Vietnamese form.
Khmer ឆ្លូវ (chləw, “Year of the Ox”) was borrowed from a Vietic variety, and thus is not an inherited cognate of the terms listed above.

tu

certain coastal North Central dialects, endangered

dialects with /ʈ/-/t/ merger, no diphthongization


cải làn

[kaːj˧˨ laːŋ˦˩]

[kaːj˨˩˦ laːŋ˨˩]

From Cantonese 芥蘭 /芥兰 (gaai3 laan4; giới lan).


thú có túi

[tʰu˧˦ kɔ˧˦ tuj˧˦]

[tʰʊw˨˩˦ kɔ˨˩˦ tuj˨˩˦]

[tʰʊw˦˥ kɔ˦˥ tuj˦˥]

thú (“mammal”) + có (“to have”) + túi (“pouch”).


măng tây

[maŋ˧˧ təj˧˧]

[maŋ˧˧ təj˧˧]

[maŋ˧˧ təj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-măng tây.wav

Audio (Hà Nội)

măng (“bamboo shoot”) + tây (“Western”). Compare Khmer ទំពាំងបារាំង (tumpĕəngbaarĕəng, literally “French bamboo shoot”) and Thai หน่อไม้ฝรั่ง (nɔ̀ɔ-máai-fà-ràng, literally “foreign/Western bamboo shoot”).

cog

ទំពាំងបារាំង

ncog

หน่อไม้ฝรั่ง


hải sâm

[haːj˧˨ ʂəm˧˧]

[haːj˨˩˦ ʂəm˧˧]

[haːj˨˩˦ səm˧˧]


dứa

vi-noun

(classifier cây, quả, trái) dứa • (𦼥, 架)

cây (classifier)
quả (classifier)
trái (classifier)
𦼥 (CJK)
架 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *-caːʔ (“pandanus”), with pandanus now being called dứa dại.
Attested as giứa in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).
The etymological spelling giứa is now virtually never used, being replaced by dứa.


cá chình

[kaː˧˦ t͡ɕïŋ˨˩]

[kaː˨˩˦ t͡ɕɨn˦˩]

[kaː˦˥ cɨn˨˩]


rồng

head

滝, 瀧, 蠪, 蠬, 𧍰, 𧏵

vi-noun

滝, 瀧, 蠪, 蠬, 𧍰, 𧏵

(classifier con) rồng • (滝, 瀧, 蠪, 蠬, 𧍰, 𧏵)

con (classifier)
滝 (CJK)
瀧 (CJK)
蠪 (CJK)
蠬 (CJK)
𧍰 (CJK)
𧏵 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *-roːŋ, from Old Chinese 龍 (OC *[mə]-roŋ) (B-S) (SV: long). Compare also Khmer រោង (roong, “Year of the Dragon”).
Attested as ròu᷃ in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).


bưởi

head

bưởi • (𣘓, 𣞻)

vi-noun

(classifier cây, quả, trái) bưởi • (𣘓, 𣞻)

cây (classifier)
quả (classifier)
trái (classifier)
𣘓 (CJK)
𣞻 (CJK)

Nó có bưởi to.

(anatomy, euphemistic, humorous, of a woman) a boob; a jug


lúa

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

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

cog

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) paddy; unhusked rice


lúa

Đúng là nhìn hơi lúa, mà vẫn bán hàng ầm ầm...

It really does look shabby, but it's still selling wildly...

Chàng trai 30 tuổi nhìn hơi lúa hứa sẽ không để bạn gái chịu khổ.

The guy is thirty years old, looks rather plain, and promises not to let his girlfriend suffer.

Short for hai lúa (“rustic; bumpkinish”).

Kem hộp màu vàng, nhựa rẻ tiền, nhìn hơi lúa...

The cream is in a yellow pack, cheap plastic, looks rather low quality...


nấm đầu khỉ

[nəm˧˦ ʔɗəw˨˩ xi˧˩]

[nəm˦˧˥ ʔɗəw˦˩ kʰɪj˧˨]

[nəm˦˧˥ ʔɗəw˦˩ xɪj˧˨]

[nəm˦˥ ʔɗəw˨˩ kʰɪj˨˩˦]

[nəm˦˥ ʔɗəw˨˩ xɪj˨˩˦]

nấm (“mushroom”) + đầu (“head”) + khỉ (“monkey”)

Hericium erinaceus
Hericium erinaceus#Translingual


khỉ

From Proto-Vietic *kʰih; probably of imitative origin.

khỉ đột


mỡ

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


khúc

Sino-Vietnamese word from 麴. Compare Chinese 鼠麴草 /鼠曲草 (thử khúc thảo, “Pseudognaphalium affine”).

ncog

[kʰʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[xʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[kʰʊwk͡p̚˦˥]

(rare in isolation) Pseudognaphalium affine


nứa

Neohouzeaua (a genus of medium-sized tropical bamboo)


鴻毛

(literal, archaic, poetic, collective) bean goose feathers

chữ Hán form of hồng mao.
bean goose feathers

(mythology) one of the nine groups of hair of the mane of the horse that Sơn Tinh offered the reigning Hùng king to propose to his princess


khoai

củ (classifier)
芌 (CJK)
𧃷 (CJK)
䓙 (CJK)
𬞲 (CJK)

Borrowed from a Khmuic language, compare Mal kʰwaːj, or directly descended from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kwaaj (“yam”). The first scenario is more likely, but it is also possible that this now mainstream Vietnamese word is an internal borrowing, originated from the North Central region (where secondary aspiration frequently occurs) and replaced the Northern form without aspiration: it was spelt as 䓙 (phonetic 乖 (MC kweaj), SV reading quai) in a poem by Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, a native of Northern Vietnam, while later works use various characters that clearly show aspiration.
Cognate with Mon ကွဲာ (kwai).


mãng cầu ta

[maːŋ˦ˀ˥ kəw˨˩ taː˧˧]

[maːŋ˧˨ kəw˦˩ taː˧˧]

[maːŋ˨˩˦ kəw˨˩ taː˧˧]

Annona squamosa
Annona squamosa#Translingual


mãng cầu

[maːŋ˦ˀ˥ kəw˨˩]

[maːŋ˧˨ kəw˦˩]

[maːŋ˨˩˦ kəw˨˩]


mãng cầu xiêm

[maːŋ˦ˀ˥ kəw˨˩ siəm˧˧]

[maːŋ˧˨ kəw˦˩ siəm˧˧]

[maːŋ˨˩˦ kəw˨˩ sim˧˧]

mãng cầu (“sugar apple”) + Xiêm (“Siam”)

af

Annona muricata
Annona muricata#Translingual


mãng cầu tây

[maːŋ˦ˀ˥ kəw˨˩ təj˧˧]

[maːŋ˧˨ kəw˦˩ təj˧˧]

[maːŋ˨˩˦ kəw˨˩ təj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-mãng cầu tây.wav

Audio (Hà Nội)

Annona cherimola
Annona cherimola#Translingual


bình bát

[ʔɓïŋ˨˩ ʔɓaːt̚˧˦]

[ʔɓɨn˦˩ ʔɓaːk̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɨn˨˩ ʔɓaːk̚˦˥]

Annona reticulata
Annona reticulata#Translingual


hồng xiêm

[həwŋ͡m˨˩ siəm˧˧]

[həwŋ͡m˦˩ siəm˧˧]

Manilkara zapota
Manilkara zapota#Translingual


thanh long

[tʰajŋ̟˧˧ lawŋ͡m˧˧]

[tʰɛɲ˧˧ lawŋ͡m˧˧]

[tʰɛɲ˧˧ lɔŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 青龍 (“Azure Dragon”).


chùm ruột

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

[t͡ɕum˨˩ zuət̚˧˨ʔ]

[t͡ɕum˦˩ ʐuək̚˨˩ʔ]

[cʊm˨˩ ɹuək̚˨˩˨]


xoài

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
𣒱 (CJK)

Borrowed from Khmer ស្វាយ (svaay). Compare Hokkien 檨 (soāiⁿ, soān, soǎiⁿ).


chanh

(neologism) a non-binary pronoun meant to act in the place of chị and anh.


chanh tây

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

[t͡ɕajŋ̟˧˧ təj˧˧]

[t͡ɕɛɲ˧˧ təj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-chanh tây.wav

Audio (Hà Nội)


cần tây

[kən˨˩ təj˧˧]

[kəŋ˦˩ təj˧˧]

[kəŋ˨˩ təj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-cần tây.wav

Audio (Hà Nội)

cần (“water parsnip”) + tây (“western”).


gà tây

[ɣaː˨˩ təj˧˧]

[ɣaː˦˩ təj˧˧]

[ɣaː˨˩ təj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-gà tây.wav

Audio (Hà Nội)


tỏi tây

[tɔj˧˩ təj˧˧]

[tɔj˧˨ təj˧˧]

[tɔj˨˩˦ təj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-tỏi tây.wav

Audio (Hà Nội)


đậu bắp

[ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ ʔɓap̚˧˦]

[ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ ʔɓap̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɗəw˨˩˨ ʔɓap̚˦˥]

đậu bắp luộc chấm chao

boiled okra and fermented bean curd for dipping

Abelmoschus esculentus
Abelmoschus esculentus#Translingual


mướp tây

[mɨəp̚˧˦ təj˧˧]

[mɨəp̚˦˧˥ təj˧˧]

[mɨəp̚˦˥ təj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-mướp tây.wav

Audio (Hà Nội)


đinh hương

[ʔɗïŋ˧˧ hɨəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗɨn˧˧ hɨəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗɨn˧˧ hɨəŋ˧˧]


trầm hương

[t͡ɕəm˨˩ hɨəŋ˧˧]

[ʈəm˦˩ hɨəŋ˧˧]

[ʈəm˨˩ hɨəŋ˧˧]

Aquilaria malaccensis
Aquilaria malaccensis#Translingual

various Aquilaria trees such as Aquilaria malaccensis and Aquilaria crassna, sources of agarwood


đậu tương

[ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ tɨəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ tɨəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗəw˨˩˨ tɨəŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 豆漿 (“soy milk”).


mùi tây

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-mùi tây.wav


tiểu hồi hương

[tiəw˧˩ hoj˨˩ hɨəŋ˧˧]

[tiw˧˨ hoj˦˩ hɨəŋ˧˧]

[tiw˨˩˦ hoj˨˩ hɨəŋ˧˧]


mộc qua

[məwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ kwaː˧˧]

[məwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ kwaː˧˧]

[məwk͡p̚˨˩˨ waː˧˧]


hoàng lan

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

[hwaːŋ˦˩ laːŋ˧˧]

[waːŋ˨˩ laːŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 黃蘭, composed of 黃 (“yellow”) and 蘭 (“orchid”).

Cananga odorata
Cananga odorata#Translingual

ylang ylang (a tree of the species Cananga odorata)


ngọc lan tây

vi-noun

(classifier cây, bông, hoa) ngọc lan tây • (玉蘭西)

cây (classifier)
bông (classifier)
hoa (classifier)
玉蘭西 (CJK)

[ŋawk͡p̚˧˨ʔ laːn˧˧ təj˧˧]

[ŋawk͡p̚˨˩ʔ laːŋ˧˧ təj˧˧]

[ŋawk͡p̚˨˩˨ laːŋ˧˧ təj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-ngọc lan tây.wav

ngọc lan (“magnolia”) + tây (“Western”).


quạ

head

𩿙, 𩾷, 𪀅, 𪁶, 𪂠, 𪇍

vi-noun

𩿙, 𩾷, 𪀅, 𪁶, 𪂠, 𪇍

(classifier con) quạ • (𩿙, 𩾷, 𪀅, 𪁶, 𪂠, 𪇍)

con (classifier)
𩿙 (CJK)
𩾷 (CJK)
𪀅 (CJK)
𪁶 (CJK)
𪂠 (CJK)
𪇍 (CJK)


đào

(historical) a songstress or an actress in certain types of Vietnamese performance art


đào lộn hột

[ʔɗaːw˨˩ lon˧˨ʔ hot̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗaːw˦˩ loŋ˨˩ʔ hok̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗaːw˨˩ loŋ˨˩˨ hok̚˨˩˨]

From đào (“peach”) + lộn (“to turn the inside out”) + hột (“seed”).


sò

head

sò • (𧎷, 𧒌, 𩺥, 芻)

con (classifier)
𧎷 (CJK)
𧒌 (CJK)
𩺥 (CJK)
芻 (CJK)


rận

con (classifier)
𧋅 (CJK)
𧎠 (CJK)
𧏶 (CJK)
𬠨 (CJK)

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

From Proto-Vietic *m-rəɲʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *(d)mrəɲʔ (“body louse”). Cognate with Arem ⁿrìɲˀ, Pacoh ntréinh, Khmu [Cuang] tmbriɲ ("gnat"), Khasi jynreiñ.

inh

Pediculus humanus
Pediculus humanus#Translingual


ếch

From Proto-Vietic *ʔeːk, probably of onomatopoeic origin.


cóc

Attested as căóc, cóc in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

Con cóc là cậu ông trời,
Nếu ai đánh cóc thì trời đánh cho.
The Toad is the Heavenly Lord's boss,
If you strike him, the Lord will strike you.


cóc

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
㭲 (CJK)

Compare Proto-Katuic *ʔakɔk, Khmu [Cuang] kok, Thai กอก (gɔ̀ɔk).

Spondias dulcis
Spondias dulcis#Translingual

species in the genus Spondias, such as Spondias dulcis


chấy

From Proto-Vietic *ciːʔ. Compare Central/Southern dialects chí, Muong chỉ.

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


chấy rận

[t͡ɕəj˧˦ zən˧˨ʔ]

[t͡ɕəj˨˩˦ ʐəŋ˨˩ʔ]

[cəj˦˥ ɹəŋ˨˩˨]

chấy (“head louse”) + rận (“body louse”).

com

(Northern Vietnam) louse, lice (generally speaking)


cá mập

[kaː˧˦ məp̚˧˨ʔ]

[kaː˨˩˦ məp̚˨˩ʔ]

[kaː˦˥ məp̚˨˩˨]


lách

cây (classifier)
𥷒 (CJK)
𮒃 (CJK)
藶 (CJK)

Saccharum spontaneum
Saccharum spontaneum#Translingual


yếm

→ English: yem

→ Tai Dam: ꪮꪸ꪿ꪣ

From Proto-Vietic *ʔiɛmʔ (“breastplate”), a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 裺 (“bib worn by infants”, SV: yểm), likely related to yểm (掩, “to cover; to hide”).
Cognate with Muong yểm. Compare the possible loanwords: Thai เอี๊ยม (íiam), Khmer អៀម (ʼiəm).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

yếm dãi

(by extension) a garment that looks similar and that is worn in a similar fashion, such as a bib or a dudou


nhái

Compare nhại (“to mimic other's words or style of speaking”).

hàng nhái

(disapproving) to imitate; to mimic; to copy


gáo

cây (classifier)
quả (classifier)
trái (classifier)
梏 (CJK)

Neolamarckia cadamba
Neolamarckia cadamba#Translingual


ốc

head

ốc • (沃, 屋, 𧎜, 喔)

con (classifier)
沃 (CJK)
屋 (CJK)
𧎜 (CJK)
喔 (CJK)

[ʔəwk͡p̚˦˧˥]

From Proto-Vietic *ʔoːk (“snail”). Cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] ʔɔːk⁷.

ốc sên

ốc mượn hồn

ốc anh vũ

博媄生𫥨分屋𧋆
𣎀𣈜粦𨀎盎𦹵灰

18th–19th century, Hồ Xuân Hương (胡春香), “Vịnh ốc nhồi (詠屋𧋆) [River Snail]”, in John Balaban, transl., Spring Essence: The Poetry of Hồ Xuân Hương, Copper Canyon Press (book), also hosted by Nôm Foundation (online), published 2000:

Fate and my parents shaped me like a snail,
day and night wandering marsh weeds that smell foul.

Bác mẹ sinh ra phận ốc nhồi,
Đêm ngày lăn lóc đám cỏ hôi

an animal, especially a mollusk, with a spiral shell


chim điên

[t͡ɕim˧˧ ʔɗiən˧˧]

[t͡ɕim˧˧ ʔɗiəŋ˧˧]

[cim˧˧ ʔɗiəŋ˧˧]


lừa

嚧, 𡃖, 𢗼, 𢥈, 𬐸

vi-verb

嚧, 𡃖, 𢗼, 𢥈, 𬐸

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 濾 (“to filter, to strain out”, SV: lự).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

lừa banh ~ lừa bóng

Ngồi buồn nhớ mẹ ta xưa,
Miệng nhai cơm búng, lưỡi lừa cá xương
I sit gloomy, missing my mother of old,
Her mouth prechewing rice into boli, her tongue picking out fish bones.


tần ô

[tən˨˩ ʔo˧˧]

[təŋ˦˩ ʔow˧˧]

[təŋ˨˩ ʔow˧˧]

garland chrysanthemum
garland chrysanthemum

Glebionis coronaria
Glebionis coronaria#Translingual

garland chrysanthemum (Glebionis coronaria)


白芷

白芷chữ Hán form of bạch chỉ . (canonical)


sâu

From Proto-Vietic *c-ruː (“deep”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɟruuʔ ~ *ɟruh ~ *rɟuh (“deep”). Cognate with Muong Bi khu, Khmer ជ្រៅ (crɨw), Bahnar jrŭ, Pacoh tru, Khmu [Cuang] ɟruʔ.

inh

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


sâu

Regarding the adjectival sense, compare Japanese 虫歯 (mushiba, literally “bug tooth”).


sâu

răng sâu

sâu răng


ngựa

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

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

From Proto-Vietic *m-ŋəːʔ. See also Chinese 午 (wǔ, “7th earthly branch; horse in the Chinese zodiac”).
The adjectival sense "sexually promiscuous, lecherous" (whence sense "appearance-obsessed, ostentatious") originates from the comparison of sexually promiscuous, lecherous people, especially women, to horses, as seen in - for instances: Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị, Dictionnaire Annamite-Français (1898), the Huế's idiom "rượn như ngựa Thượng Tứ ('to rut like imperial horses')", which is used to mock women and girls who are deemed "rotten, of loose morals".

zh-l

(colloquial) Short for sức ngựa (“horsepower”).


cheo

vi-noun

(classifier con) cheo • (㹦) (phonemic reduplicative cheo cheo)

con (classifier)
㹦 (CJK)
cheo cheo (reduplication)

chevrotain; mouse deer (of the family Tragulidae)


gấu

From Proto-Vietic *c-guːʔ ~ *c-kuːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɟkaw; cognate with Bahnar chơgơu and Proto-Katuic *hŋkaw.
The "romantic partner" sense is probably derived from gấu bông (“teddy bear”).


diều hâu

A native compound of two Sino-Vietnamese words elements 鷂 (diều) and 䳧 (hâu).

Any bird within the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis, or Megatriorchis


ngao

con (classifier)
𧑃 (CJK)
螯 (CJK)
鰲 (CJK)
鼇 (CJK)


lươn

head

連, 𧐖, 𩽥, 𩷕, 鰱, 鱔

lươn • (連, 𧐖, 𩽥, 𩷕, 鰱, 鱔)

vi-noun

連, 𧐖, 𩽥, 𩷕, 鰱, 鱔

(classifier con) lươn • (連, 𧐖, 𩽥, 𩷕, 鰱, 鱔)

con (classifier)
連 (CJK)
𧐖 (CJK)
𩽥 (CJK)
𩷕 (CJK)
鰱 (CJK)
鱔 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *-laːɲ. Cognate with Muong Bi lươnh. Compare Lamet [Nkris] tǝlaːɲ.

身𧐖包管壈頭

1820, Nguyễn Du (阮攸), Đoạn trường tân thanh (Truyện Kiều)^(https://vi.wikisource.org/wiki/Truyện_Kiều_(bản_Liễu_Văn_Ðường_1866)):

A swamp eel would care not if its head is dirtied

南國方言俗語備錄 Nam quốc phương ngôn tục ngữ bị lục (Records of the Southern nation's local proverbs and common sayings), folio 13b
𧐖𥐇麻吱䖳𨱽
船班𠶦𠰘吱𧕚嚦㕨
Lươn ngắn mà chê chạch dài,
Thờn bơn méo miệng chê trai lệch mồm.
The short swamp eel mocks the long spiny eel,
The crooked-jawed flatfish mocks the uneven-mouthed oyster.

ăn lươn

to get beaten with a stick as punishment; (lit. to eat eel).

Tao mà rớt môn này là bố tao cho ăn lươn.

If I fail this subject my dad will cane me (lit. will feed me eels).

Monopterus albus
Monopterus albus#Translingual


thằn lằn

[tʰaŋ˦˩ laŋ˦˩]

[tʰaŋ˨˩ laŋ˨˩]

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

thằn lằn cánh

thằn lằn cá

(by extension) certain kinds of prehistoric reptile


rùa

head

𧒍, 𧒌, 𪛅, 𧒉, 𪛇

vi-noun

𧒍, 𧒌, 𪛅, 𧒉, 𪛇

con (classifier)
𧒍 (CJK)
𧒌 (CJK)
𪛅 (CJK)
𧒉 (CJK)
𪛇 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *ʔa-rɔː; cognate with Arem arɑː. Compare Nghệ An/Hà Tĩnh dialects rò.
The reduplicated form rùa rùa was used until rather recently, as seen in the Cách trí giáo khoa thư (革智教科書) composed in the 1920s. This form is now obsolete, which is a trend seen with other reduplicated nouns designing animals, such as nhền nhện (“spider”), bươm bướm (“butterfly”), se sẻ (“sparrow”), with the monosyllabic root (once again) becomes the dominant form.

Thương thay thân phận con rùa:
Lên đình đội hạc; xuống chùa đội bia.
How pitiful is the tortoise's lot:
Up in the shrine, bearing the crane; Down in the temple bearing the stele.


bưởi chùm

[ʔɓɨəj˧˩ t͡ɕum˨˩]

[ʔɓɨj˧˨ t͡ɕum˦˩]

[ʔɓɨj˨˩˦ cʊm˨˩]

bưởi (“pomelo”) + chùm (“cluster, bunch”).


san hô

[ʂaːŋ˧˧ how˧˧]

[ʂaːŋ˧˧ how˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 珊瑚, composed of 珊 and 瑚.
Attested as ſan hô in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).


khủng long

[xʊwŋ͡m˧˩ lawŋ͡m˧˧]

[kʰʊwŋ͡m˧˨ lawŋ͡m˧˧]

[xʊwŋ͡m˧˨ lɔŋ˧˧]

[kʰʊwŋ͡m˨˩˦ lawŋ͡m˧˧]

[xʊwŋ͡m˨˩˦ lawŋ͡m˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 恐龍, composed of 恐 (“terror”) and 龍 (“dragon”), from Chinese 恐龍 /恐龙 (kǒnglóng) or directly from Japanese 恐竜 (kyōryū). For the extended sense, semantic loan from Chinese 龍 /龙 (long) or semantic loan from Japanese 竜 (ryū).
It is unclear when this term was adopted. In Địa cầu vạn vật luận - Động vật (1920), written by a French bishop, the term thú long was used to refer to "fossilized terrestrial crocodiles" such as mégalosaure, brontosaure, iguanodon.

(by extension) some other prehistoric reptiles, such as pterosaurs and ichthyosaurs


động vật

[ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ vət̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗəwŋ͡m˨˩ʔ vək̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗəwŋ͡m˨˩˨ vək̚˨˩˨]

[ʔɗəwŋ͡m˨˩˨ jək̚˨˩˨]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-động vật.wav

Sino-Vietnamese word from 動物, composed of 動 (“moving”) and 物 (“thing”).


thiên nga

[tʰiən˧˧ ŋaː˧˧]

[tʰiəŋ˧˧ ŋaː˧˧]

[tʰiəŋ˧˧ ŋaː˧˧]


thích

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 槭 (SV: túc). Likely borrowed from a southern Sinitic form with aspiration and high front vowel.

der

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


cỏ

head

cỏ • (𦹵, 𦹯, 古, 苦)

vi-noun

(classifier lá, cây, ngọn) cỏ • (𦹵, 𦹯, 古, 苦)

lá (classifier)
cây (classifier)
ngọn (classifier)
𦹵 (CJK)
𦹯 (CJK)
古 (CJK)
苦 (CJK)

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

From Proto-Vietic *kɔh (“grass”). Cognate with Thavung ก็อฮ.
Attested as cỏ in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).
The sense "marijuana" is probably a calque of English weed.


cỏ

head

cỏ • (𦹵, 𦹯, 古, 苦)

vi-adj

cỏ • (𦹵, 𦹯, 古, 苦)


mây

cây (classifier)
𣛠 (CJK)
𬨿 (CJK)
𫂗 (CJK)

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


rắn

head

rắn • (𧋻, 破散)

From Proto-Vietic *p-səɲʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *(b)saɲʔ; cognate with Muong Bi thảnh, Khasi bseiñ and Pacoh cuxanh. Compare also Khmer ម្សាញ់ (msañ, “Year of the Snake”).
Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 破散 (MC phaH sanX) (modern SV: phá tản). Attested as Northern Middle Vietnamese rắn in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651); the modern North Central form is not a reflex of this, but descended from an unattested non-Northern Middle Vietnamese form.

cog

a non-constricting snake, as opposed to a trăn (“constricting snake”)


rắn

From Proto-Vietic *k-sanʔ (“solid; hard; firm”). Cognate with Arem tʰanˀ.

inh

rắn lại

rắn/cứng đầu

rắn chắc


cháy

From cá cháy, from cá (“fish”) + cháy (“to burn”).

a fish of the genus Tenualosa (hilsa), especially Laotian or Toli shad


giòi

From Proto-Vietic *k-rɔːj. Cognates Muong khòi, Tho [Cuối Chăm] kʰrɒːj¹. Likely related to ruồi (“fly”).
Compare also già (“old, aged”), giữa (“centre”) for the development of onset.

maggot (dipterous insect's larva that eats decomposing organic matter)


bò sát

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ saːt̚˧˦]

[ʔɓɔ˦˩ ʂaːk̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɔ˦˩ saːk̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ ʂaːk̚˦˥]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ saːk̚˦˥]

From bò (“to crawl”) + sát (“close to”), referring to the fact that most extant reptiles crawl with their belly close to the ground. Compare Latin rēptilis (“crawly; creepy”) and Chinese 爬蟲 /爬虫 (páchóng, “crawly/creepy beast”).


trói

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

From Proto-Vietic *k-lɔːjʔ; cognate with Arem tlɑːjʔ. Compare Pacoh cloi (“to tie, to bind”).

Trói tay nó lại !

Trói nó vào cột !

to tie/bind a person or animal, or their body parts together to, immobilize them; compare buộc/cột (“to tie an object”) and còng (“to handcuff”)


cắt

From Proto-Vietic *kac, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kac. Cognate with Muong Bi cách, Pacoh kéiq (“to pick, to pluck”), Ngeq kɛc, Khmer កាច់ (kac, “to break, to snap”), Bahnar kĕch (“to harvest”), Pnar khait (“to pick”), Kensiu kec. Related to gặt (“to harvest”).
Unrelated to Chinese 割 (OC *Cə-kˤat) (SV: cát), although the two are sometimes (incorrectly) considered connected.
The Austroasiatic root *kac originally referred to the action of "plucking" and "breaking", with "cutting" being secondary. Not to be confused with the similar-looking root *kat ~ *kaat (“to cut”), which gave rise to Khmer កាត់ (kat) and Korwa geɖ.

sao chép, cắt và dán

to sever using a sharp object; to cut, snip, slit, trim, clip, shear, etc.


cắt

Earlier forms bà cắt and bồ cắt are attested in various dictionaries as well as in Nôm texts.

nhanh như cắt

very quick; very swift (literally, “as swift as a falcon”)


móng tay

[mɔŋ˦˧˥ taj˧˧]


xương rồng

[sɨəŋ˧˧ zəwŋ͡m˨˩]

[sɨəŋ˧˧ ʐəwŋ͡m˦˩]

[sɨəŋ˧˧ ɹəwŋ͡m˨˩]

xương (“bone”) + rồng (“dragon”). Compare Chinese 龍骨花 /龙骨花 (long cốt hoa).
In the Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1838), it was glossed as species euphorbiæ (“Euphorbia species”).


nhím

con (classifier)
𤝫 (CJK)
𤢾 (CJK)
𤣚 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *k-ɲiːmʔ (“porcupine”). Cognate with Muong Bi nhỉm.
Compare Laven kɲeːm, Jeh kəɲeːm and the likes, which might be Vietic loans if are not cognates.


giống

From Proto-Vietic *k-coːŋʔ, from a descendant of reconstructed Old Chinese 種 (OC *k.toŋʔ) when the dental stop already palatalized; non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 種 (“seed; species”, SV: chủng). Doublet of chủng.
The same sound change also yields Vietnamese giấy, from Proto-Vietic *k-cajʔ, from a descendant of ultimately Old Chinese 紙 (OC *k.teʔ).

der

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


đực

head

đực • (特, 󱙙, 𬌣)

vi-adj

đực • (特, 󱙙, 𬌣)

From Proto-Vietic *dək (“male”); non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 特 (SV: đặc). Compare Thai ถึก (tʉ̀k).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

mèo đực

(of men) đực rựa

Nghĩ sao con gái mà vô ở chung phòng với một bọn đực rựa?

How the hell is it okay for a girl to stay with a roomful of dudes?

(of a non-human and non-avian species of animal or plant or their reproductive organs) male


bướu

head

bướu • (肬, 𤷶, 𤹼, 𤺴)

vi-noun

(classifier cái, cục) bướu • (肬, 𤷶, 𤹼, 𤺴)

cái (classifier)
cục (classifier)
肬 (CJK)
𤷶 (CJK)
𤹼 (CJK)
𤺴 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *pɨəwʔ (“goiter; goitre”); cognates include Muong pưởu.


mướp đắng

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

[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


khổ qua

[kʰow˨˩˦ waː˧˧]

khổ qua nhồi thịt

(Southern Vietnam) bitter melon; bitter gourd


cam sành

[kaːm˧˧ ʂɛɲ˦˩]

[kaːm˧˧ sɛɲ˦˩]


dưa chuột

[zɨə˧˧ t͡ɕuət̚˧˨ʔ]

[jɨə˧˧ t͡ɕuək̚˨˩ʔ]

[jɨə˧˧ cuək̚˨˩˨]


dưa

Cognate with Muong Bi tưa (“pickles”).
Unlikely from Eastern Han Chinese 菹 (*tsra) and thus non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 菹 (“salted and pickled vegetables”, SV: trư, thư) (as proposed by Alves, 2022).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">trư, thư</i>


nấm tràm

[nəm˧˦ t͡ɕaːm˨˩]

[nəm˦˧˥ ʈaːm˦˩]

[nəm˦˥ ʈaːm˨˩]

Tylopilus felleus, a bitter but edible mushroom


ngỗng

con (classifier)
𪄌 (CJK)
鵝 (CJK)
𤞒 (CJK)

Blench (2014) proposes Proto-Austroasiatic quasi-reconstruction *h.ŋaŋ. Compare Pacoh angoung (“goose”) and Bahnar ngong (“goose”).


ong

From Proto-Vietic *ʔɔːŋ (“honey bee”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ʔuŋ ~ *ʔuəŋ ~ *huŋ ~ *huəŋ (“wasp; hornet”). Cognate with Thavung ออง (“wasp”), Pacoh hong (“large bee, wasp”), Bahnar ong (“wasp”), Khmu ʔɔːŋ ("wasp"), Mon ဟိုၚ် (hang, “hornet”), Semelai hɔŋ ("hornet").
Attested as ao᷃ in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).


thực vật

[tʰɨk̚˧˨ʔ vət̚˧˨ʔ]

[tʰɨk̚˨˩ʔ vək̚˨˩ʔ]

[tʰɨk̚˨˩˨ vək̚˨˩˨]

[tʰɨk̚˨˩˨ jək̚˨˩˨]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 植物, composed of 植 (“to plant”) and 物 (“thing”).

vi-etym-sino

(chiefly biology, botany) a plant (organism capable of photosynthesis)


sói

con (classifier)
獪 (CJK)
𤢗 (CJK)
𤢿 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *k-rɔːrʔ~*kʰ-lɔːrʔ (“dhole”); cognate with Muong khỏl, khỏư and Arem karɑːlˀ.

Siamese jackal (Canis aureus cruesemanni) (See Sói rừng on the Vietnamese Wikipedia.Wikipedia ᵛⁱ)


tê

sừng tê


thông

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 松 (“pine”, SV: tùng).

der

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


lòng đỏ

[lawŋ͡m˨˩ ʔɗɔ˧˩]

[lawŋ͡m˦˩ ʔɗɔ˧˨]

[lɔŋ˦˩ ʔɗɔ˧˨]

[lawŋ͡m˨˩ ʔɗɔ˨˩˦]


鴕鳥

chữ Hán form of đà điểu (“a large, long-legged ratite, for example, an ostrich”).


kê

cây (classifier)
hạt (classifier)
嵇 (CJK)
稽 (CJK)


kê

Cognate with Muong Bi kêl.
Unrelated to Old Chinese 支 (OC *ke) (B-S).

kê chân lên ghế

to rest (a part of one's body) on something

(furniture) to place; to arrange; to put


tượng

ông tượng

(xiangqi) elephant, a piece labeled with the characters 象 (xiàng, black) and 相 (tướng, red)


sâm

Sino-Vietnamese word from 蔘 (“ginseng”).

xứ củ sâm


nhân sâm

[ɲən˧˧ səm˧˧]

[ɲəŋ˧˧ ʂəm˧˧]

[ɲəŋ˧˧ səm˧˧]

[ɲəŋ˧˧ ʂəm˧˧]

[ɲəŋ˧˧ səm˧˧]


mọc

cục (classifier)
viên (classifier)
𦙣 (CJK)

According to folk etymology: derived from the name of the Kẻ Mọc area (tên Nôm of the Nhân Mục (仁睦) villages) in current-day Hanoi, where the dish bún mọc is said to originate.

(cooking) meatballs served in some noodle dishes


kỉ

kỉ Phấn Trắng


hóp

certain bamboo species, especially Bambusa textilis


kiến

From Proto-Vietic *gɛːnʔ ~ *kɛːnʔ. Cognate with Thavung แก้น. Compare Bolyu ɣəːn³³.


phong

xi-rô phong


dương

ngày dương

(occult) having "yang" characteristics, such as "bright", "solar" or "masculine"


thông rụng lá

[tʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ zʊwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ laː˧˦]

[tʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʐʊwŋ͡m˨˩ʔ laː˨˩˦]

[tʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ ɹʊwŋ͡m˨˩˨ laː˦˥]

thông (pine) + rụng (drop) + (lá) (leaf), so named for the fact that, despite the fact that the larch is a conifer, it is deciduous, shedding its leaves each year


vượn cáo

[vɨən˧˨ʔ kaːw˧˦]

[vɨəŋ˨˩ʔ kaːw˨˩˦]

[vɨəŋ˨˩˨ kaːw˦˥]

[jɨəŋ˨˩˨ kaːw˦˥]

vượn (“ape”) + cáo (“fox”). Compare Chinese 狐猴 (húhóu, literally “fox monkey”), Japanese 狐猿 (kitsunezaru, literally “fox monkey”), Korean 여우원숭이 (yeouwonsung'i, literally “fox monkey”).

cog

a lemur (strepsirrhine primate of the infraorder Lemuriformes, superfamily Lemuroidea)


vượn

head

vượn • (猿, 𤠴, 𤢥)

con (classifier)
猿 (CJK)
𤠴 (CJK)
𤢥 (CJK)

Cognate with Muong Bi wẫn. Compare Proto-Vietic *k-vaɲ (whence Arem kwaɲ, etc.) which lacks the expected glottal stop if it was actually cognates of the Viet-Muong forms.
Unlikely to be derived from 猨 ~ 猿 (> SV: viên) as proposed by Sinocentric philologists like An Chi.

vượn người/người vượn

vượn/khỉ hình người


đười ươi

đười ươi • (代埃)

[ʔɗɨəj˨˩ ʔɨəj˧˧]

[ʔɗɨj˦˩ ʔɨj˧˧]

[ʔɗɨj˨˩ ʔɨj˧˧]

Chỉ nam ngọc âm giải nghĩa (指南玉音解義)
狸狸号丐代埃
命㹥密㝵咍説𱐍於
"Li li" hiệu cái đười ươi,Mình chó mặt người hay thốt u ơ.
The "lílí" is called "đười ươi".With dog body and a human face, they often make unintelligible noise.

(obsolete, cryptozoology) cryptid or animal with human characteristics


đười ươi

[ʔɗɨəj˨˩ ʔɨəj˧˧]

[ʔɗɨj˦˩ ʔɨj˧˧]

[ʔɗɨj˨˩ ʔɨj˧˧]


mơ

From Old Chinese 梅 (OC *C.mˤə) (B-S) (SV: mai).

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


mận

vi-noun

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

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

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

Syzygium samarangense
Syzygium samarangense#Translingual

(Southern Vietnam) wax apple (Syzygium samarangense)


điều

Chương I, Điều 1


điêu

Anh hùng xạ điêu

(wuxia fiction) a giant eagle in Jin Yong's wuxia novels and their live action adaptations


cải rổ

[kaːj˨˩˦ ɹow˨˩˦]


sứa

con (classifier)
𧍇 (CJK)
𧍅 (CJK)
𩸲 (CJK)

der

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

vi-etym-sino

non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 䖳 (SV: trá)


riềng

cây (classifier)
củ (classifier)
楹 (CJK)
萾 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *b-riɛŋ. Cognate with Muong Bi khiềng. Compare Proto-Katuic *-rɨɨŋ (“galangal”) (whence Eastern Bru curưng).


chúa

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 主 (“lord”, SV: chủ), also used as a Sino-Vietnamese syllable in a few compounds. Doublet of chủ (“master; owner”).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

chúa Trịnh/Nguyễn / Trịnh/Nguyễn vương
the Trịnh/Nguyễn lords

Thời Lê Trung Hưng, chúa Trịnh nắm thực quyền triều chính, biến vua tôi nhà Lê thành bù nhìn.
During the Restored Lê dynasty, the Trịnh lord held real political power, turning the Lê monarchy into a puppet.

(historical) an informal Vietnamese nobility title similar to the Chinese 王 (vương, “noble prince/duke”), formally simply vương, used for the de facto rulers of the Trịnh and Nguyễn families under the guise of aiding the puppet Lê emperors


công

con (classifier)
䲲 (CJK)
公 (CJK)
𲍜 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *k-voːŋ. Cognate with North Central Vietnamese cuông, Arem vùəŋ, Parauk kaong:, Semai kuwok, Semnam kwɔːŋ.
Compare also Chinese 孔 (OC *[k]ʰˤoŋʔ) (B-S) (SV: khổng), which might represent an Austroasiatic loan if not just a coincidence.

Con công hay múa,
Nó múa làm sao?
Nó rụt cổ vào,
Nó xòe cánh ra.

1992, “Con Công [The Peacock]”, Unknown (lyrics), Y Vân (music)performed by Ngọc Linh:

The peacock often dances,
How does he dance?
He draws his neck in,
He spreads his wings out.


công

Sino-Vietnamese word from 工 (“work; labor”).

the amount of labor that will factor in your pay


công

Sino-Vietnamese word from 功 (“accomplishment”). Also from Chinese 婦功 /妇功 (phụ công, “wifely competence”).


công

Sino-Vietnamese word from 公 (“public; common; duke”).

vi-etym-sino

việc công

trường công

(formal or of a school) public or state-owned


lệ chi

[le˧˨ʔ t͡ɕi˧˧]

[lej˨˩ʔ t͡ɕɪj˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 荔枝 (“lychee”).

Người xưa mô tả quả lệ chi có vỏ như nhiễu đỏ, da mỏng như lụa tím, thịt trắng sáng như băng tuyết, nước ngọt hơi chua như cơm rượu.

Of old, people described lychees as having a peel like red crêpe paper, a skin as thin as purple silk, flesh white and bright as ice and snow, and a juice sweet and slightly sour like fermented rice.


vải

head

𦃿, 𡲫, 𢅄, 罢, 󰬸, 𬘊

vi-noun

𦃿, 𡲫, 𢅄, 罢, 󰬸, 𬘊

From Proto-Vietic *k-paːs, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kpaas (“cotton”). Attested as ꞗĕải, ꞗải in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651). Cognate with Muong pái, Bahnar kơpaih, Pacoh capaih, Khasi kynphad.
Compare Sanskrit कर्पास (karpāsa) and Old Chinese 布 (OC *pˤa-s) (B-S), both of which are probably Austroasiatic loans. Doublet of bố (as in vải bố).


vải

(classifier cây, trái, quả) vải • (𣞻, 𣘓)

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
𣞻 (CJK)
𣘓 (CJK)

Attested as ꞗĕải, ꞗải in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).
Compare Proto-Katuic *kpias (“lychee”) (whence Pacoh cupiêih).
Unlike what some modern sources seem to suggest, there is little to no evidence that lệ chi (荔枝 (lìzhī)) was used as a word for "lychee" in Vietnamese, even historically. This confusion is most likely due speakers' conflation between Written Chinese texts and actual Vietnamese texts.


long nhãn

[lawŋ͡m˧˧ ɲaːn˦ˀ˥]

[lawŋ͡m˧˧ ɲaːŋ˧˨]

[lɔŋ˧˧ ɲaːŋ˧˨]

[lawŋ͡m˧˧ ɲaːŋ˨˩˦]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 龍眼 (“longan”).


măng cụt

[maŋ˧˧ kut̚˧˨ʔ]

[maŋ˧˧ kʊk̚˨˩ʔ]

[maŋ˧˧ kʊk͡p̚˨˩˨]

Borrowed from a neighbouring language, ultimately from Malay manggustan.
Compare Thai มังคุด (mang-kút), Lao ມັງຄຸດ (mang khut), Burmese မင်းကွတ် (mang:kwat), Khmer មង្ឃុត (mɔɔmŭəngkhut) and words in European languages derived from the same source.


khế

(classifier cây, trái, quả) khế • (契, 楔, 󱬖)

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
契 (CJK)
楔 (CJK)


lạc tiên

[laːk̚˧˨ʔ tiən˧˧]

[laːk̚˨˩ʔ tiəŋ˧˧]

[laːk̚˨˩˨ tiəŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 落 (“to be lost”) and 仙 (“immortal; paradise”), i.e. as if “lost in paradise”, in reference to the sleep-promoting effect of the plant extract.


nhàu

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɲɔʔ (“noni”), cognate with Khmer ញ (ñɔɔ).

Morinda citrifolia
Morinda citrifolia#Translingual


chôm chôm

vi-noun

(classifier cây, trái, quả (“rambutan”)) chôm chôm • (𣚽𣚽, 苫苫, 橬橬)

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
𣚽𣚽 (CJK)
苫苫 (CJK)
橬橬 (CJK)

It is not obvious whether the sense "sponge" or "rambutan" is more primary.

[t͡ɕom˧˧ t͡ɕom˧˧]

[t͡ɕom˧˧ t͡ɕom˧˧]

Khi chơi gái phải cẩn thận kẻo dính chôm chôm.

When chasing skirt, be careful not to get HIV.


sầu riêng

[səw˨˩ ziəŋ˧˧]

[ʂəw˦˩ ʐiəŋ˧˧]

[səw˦˩ ʐiəŋ˧˧]

[ʂəw˨˩ ɹiəŋ˧˧]

[səw˨˩ ɹiəŋ˧˧]

From a neighbour language, most likely Khmer ទុរេន (turein), ultimately from Malay durian.
According to folk etymology, from sầu (“sorrow”) + riêng (“private”), literally “one's own sorrow”. Durian was named sầu riêng after an ancient commemorative love story from the Tây Sơn dynasty, in which a man that stayed faithful to his wife after death and had a strong memory of both eating the stinky-but-delicious tu-rên (durian) that represented their love at first sight.

af

Nhà ai vừa chín quả đầu.
Đã nghe gió thổi vườn sau thơm lừng.
Lá chiều khép ngủ ung dung
Để cùng dậy với tưng bừng nắng mai.
Vàng thơm sau lớp vỏ gai
Múi to, mật ngọt cho ai thỏa lòng.
Mời cô, mời bác ăn cùng
Sầu riêng mà hóa vui chung trăm nhà.

Who's got some freshly ripe fruit?
Smellin' the delicious aroma carried by the wind.
Evening leaves were sleepin' cavalierly
Just to rise awoken with tomorrow's jubilant sunshine.
Hidden, yellowish and fragrant, under those thorny husks
Big bundles of flesh, just like pleasant honey.
Please join the party, everybody
"One's sorrow" (durian) turns out to be all's joy.


anh đào

[ʔajŋ̟˧˧ ʔɗaːw˨˩]

[ʔɛɲ˧˧ ʔɗaːw˦˩]

[ʔan˧˧ ʔɗaːw˨˩]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-anh đào.wav

Sino-Vietnamese word from 櫻桃 (“species of Prunus”).

vi-etym-sino

(archaic) species of Prunus; their fruits


xuân đào

[swən˧˧ ʔɗaːw˨˩]

[swəŋ˧˧ ʔɗaːw˦˩]

[s⁽ʷ⁾əŋ˧˧ ʔɗaːw˨˩]


bứa

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


gấc

quả (classifier)
trái (classifier)
棘 (CJK)


cúc

[kʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]


mẫu đơn

[məw˦ˀ˥ ʔɗəːn˧˧]

[məw˧˨ ʔɗəːŋ˧˧]

[məw˨˩˦ ʔɗəːŋ˧˧]

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see mẫu, đơn.


bổ

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

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

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

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

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

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


thợ

thợ xây/nề

thợ mộc

thợ điện


thợ

kiến thợ


cá ngừ đại dương

[kaː˧˦ ŋɨ˨˩ ʔɗaːj˧˨ʔ zɨəŋ˧˧]

[kaː˨˩˦ ŋɨ˦˩ ʔɗaːj˨˩ʔ jɨəŋ˧˧]

[kaː˦˥ ŋɨ˨˩ ʔɗaːj˨˩˨ jɨəŋ˧˧]


cá kiếm

[kaː˨˩˦ kiəm˦˧˥]


cá đao

[kaː˧˦ ʔɗaːw˧˧]

[kaː˨˩˦ ʔɗaːw˧˧]

[kaː˦˥ ʔɗaːw˧˧]

From cá (“fish”) + đao (“blade”). Sense 1 and 2 allude to these fishes' large and distinctive appendages that resemble a blade. Sense 3 and 4 stem from the fact that these fishes' bauplans are slender and elongated, much like a blade.


vây

cái (classifier)
𩻟 (CJK)
𩻺 (CJK)
𩼀 (CJK)
𬵎 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *c-piːl. Compare Maleng sơpi, O'du kpil ("fin").
Attested as ꞗâi in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).


quất

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

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


thị

Sino-Vietnamese word from 柿 (“persimmon”).

yellow persimmon (gold apple), Diospyros decandra


hổ

Sino-Vietnamese word from 虎 (“tiger”). Doublet of khái.

Võ Tòng giết hổ trên đồi Cảnh Dương

Wu Song killed a tiger on Jingyang Ridge

Panthera tigris
Panthera tigris#Translingual


hổ

From Proto-Vietic *huh (“cobra”). Cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] haw⁵.


trĩ đỏ

[t͡ɕi˦ˀ˥ ʔɗɔ˧˩]

[ʈɪj˧˨ ʔɗɔ˧˨]

[ʈɪj˨˩˦ ʔɗɔ˨˩˦]


rắn hổ mang

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ how˧˨ maːŋ˧˧]

[ɹaŋ˦˥ how˨˩˦ maːŋ˧˧]


thỏ

con (classifier)
兎 (CJK)
兔 (CJK)
𤟛 (CJK)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 兔 (SV: thố). Compare Old Khmer ថោះ (thoḥ), ថះ (thaḥ, “rabbit (zodiac)”), Thai เถาะ (tɔ̀).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(poetic) Ellipsis of Thỏ Ngọc (“the Jade Hare”).


cẩu

Short for cần cẩu (“crane (lifting device)”).


dơi

head

猚, 㹫, 蝔, 蛦, 𧐹

vi-noun

猚, 㹫, 蝔, 蛦, 𧐹

con (classifier)
猚 (CJK)
㹫 (CJK)
蝔 (CJK)
蛦 (CJK)
𧐹 (CJK)


chó sói

[t͡ɕɔ˧˦ sɔj˧˦]

[t͡ɕɔ˨˩˦ ʂɔj˨˩˦]

[t͡ɕɔ˨˩˦ sɔj˨˩˦]

[cɔ˦˥ ʂɔj˦˥]

[cɔ˦˥ sɔj˦˥]


bọ

head

bọ • (蜅, 𧌂, 𧏳, 𧐾)

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

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


bao báp

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ ʔɓaːp̚˧˦]

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ ʔɓaːp̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ ʔɓaːp̚˦˥]


gấu túi

[ɣəw˧˦ tuj˧˦]

[ɣəw˨˩˦ tuj˨˩˦]

[ɣəw˦˥ tuj˦˥]


bạch tuộc

[ʔɓajk̟̚˧˨ʔ tuək̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓat̚˨˩ʔ tuək̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓat̚˨˩˨ tuək̚˨˩˨]

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 八足 (“eight legs”, SV: bát túc).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

an octopus (an eight-limbed cephalopod of the order Octopoda)


hùm

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

Chàng bèn mạnh bước tiến lên, dần dần men rượu bốc nồng nực, chàng trật cái nón dạ xuống sau gáy cho mát, cắp cây côn vào nách mà lên dốc đồi. Quay đầu nhìn về Tây, thì mặt trời đã lặn xuống, chỉ còn lóe lên những tia rẻ quạt. Bấy giờ là tháng mười, đêm dài ngày ngắn, chẳng mấy chốc mà tối. 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!…
He kept pushing on, but eventually all the liquor heat started to come up, he had to pull down his straw hat to the back to cool down, while holding his staff under his armpit as he climbed the steep hill. Looking to the west, the sun had already set, there were only a few fan-shaped beams. It was currently the tenth lunar month, so nights were getting longer and days shorter, and it was soon nighttime. He muttered to himself:
– Where the hell's the tiger? Maybe some fools made things up to scare others, everybody chickened out and wouldn't set foot on this hill!…

Hỡi oai linh, cảnh nước non hùng vĩ!
Là nơi giống hùm thiêng ta ngự trị.
Nơi thênh thang ta vùng vẫy ngày xưa,
Nơi ta không còn được thấy bao giờ!
Có biết chăng trong những ngày ngao ngán,
Ta đương theo giấc mộng ngàn to lớn
Để hồn ta phảng phất được gần ngươi,
—Hỡi cảnh rừng ghê gớm của ta ơi!

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.
The place I freely roamed in the old days,
The place I will never get to see ever again!
Do thou know, on these days of tedium,
I am pursuing an immense dream
In which my soul can linger on closely to thee,
—My dear glorious jungle!

(Central Vietnam or literary) tiger (Panthera tigris)


cọp

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


cá voi

[kaː˧˦ vɔj˧˧]

[kaː˨˩˦ vɔj˧˧]

[kaː˦˥ vɔj˧˧]

[kaː˦˥ jɔj˧˧]


lợn rừng

[ləːn˧˨ʔ zɨŋ˨˩]

[ləːŋ˨˩ʔ ʐɨŋ˦˩]

[ləːŋ˨˩˨ ɹɨŋ˨˩]

From lợn (“pig”) + rừng (“forest, jungle”).


lợn

Alves (2022) entertains the possibility of it being a borrowed from Old Chinese 豚 (OC *lˤu[n]ʔ) (B-S) (SV: đồn); the vowel correspondence, however, is hard to explain.

Đút tiền lì xì vào lợn đi con!

You should put that lì xì money into the piggy bank!


sồi

cửa gỗ sồi


việt quất

[viət̚˧˨ʔ kwət̚˧˦]

[viək̚˨˩ʔ kwək̚˦˧˥]

[viək̚˨˩˨ wək̚˦˥]

[jiək̚˨˩˨ wək̚˦˥]


dâu tằm

dâu (“mulberry”) + tằm (“silkworm”), so named because mulberry is cultivated to feed silkworms.


dâu trắng

[zəw˧˧ t͡ɕaŋ˧˦]

[jəw˧˧ ʈaŋ˦˧˥]

[jəw˧˧ ʈaŋ˦˥]

dâu (mulberry) + trắng (white), named for the white mulberry (Morus alba)


dâu

From Proto-Vietic *-juː. Compare North Central Vietnamese du.


tằm

con (classifier)
蚕 (CJK)
蟳 (CJK)
蠶 (CJK)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 蠶 (“silkworm”, SV: tàm).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

蟳庵六辱船頭𣺽
蠔質樞離㯲檜廊

15th century, Nguyễn Trãi, “言志 Ngôn chí 8”, in Quốc âm thi tập (國音詩集):

The thread-pulling silkworms wriggle on the boats next to the wharf;
The oysters are stacked unevenly into heaps at the village's farthest corner.

Tằm ươm lúc nhúc thuyền đầu bãi.
Hàu chất so le khóm cuối làng.

Lý hạng ca dao 里巷歌謠 (Folk-ballads from the hamlets and alleys), folio 34a
蟳㷈絲蝒拱㷈絲
Tằm ươm tơ, nhện cũng ươm tơ.
The silkworms produce silk; the spiders also produce silk.

Tôi, con tằm, ăn những lá dâu xanh, [...].

1947 (dated), Nguyễn Bính, “Con Tằm (The Silkworm)”, included in 1962 Đêm sao sáng (Starlit Night)

I, the silkworm, eat the green mulberry leaves, ….


củ đậu

[ku˧˩ ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ]

[kʊw˧˨ ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ]

[kʊw˨˩˦ ʔɗəw˨˩˨]


su su

→ Khmer: ស៊ូ (suu)

[ʂʊw˧˧ ʂʊw˧˧]

[sʊw˧˧ sʊw˧˧]

[ʂʊw˧˧ ʂʊw˧˧]

[sʊw˧˧ sʊw˧˧]


khỉ đột

[xi˧˩ ʔɗot̚˧˨ʔ]

[kʰɪj˧˨ ʔɗok̚˨˩ʔ]

[xɪj˧˨ ʔɗok̚˨˩ʔ]

[kʰɪj˨˩˦ ʔɗok̚˨˩˨]

[xɪj˨˩˦ ʔɗok̚˨˩˨]

khỉ (“ape; monkey”) + đột (“to dash; suddenly”).

com

a gorilla (a kind of ground-dwelling great ape)


cá hổ kình

[kaː˧˦ ho˧˩ kïŋ˨˩]

[kaː˨˩˦ how˧˨ kɨn˦˩]

[kaː˦˥ how˨˩˦ kɨn˨˩]


nhông

Compare giông and Nghệ An/Hà Tĩnh dialects chôông.


cự đà

[kɨ˧˨ʔ ʔɗaː˨˩]

[kɨ˨˩ʔ ʔɗaː˦˩]

[kɨ˨˩˨ ʔɗaː˨˩]

Related to kì đà.
They might both originate from earlier *k-daː, but while kì đà simply preserved the presyllable, cự đà likely got influenced by 巨 (cự, “huge, big”).


ức

A thousand myriads multiplied by 10 myriads is one trillon.

萬萬億爲一兆


trắc

rosewood (esp. Dalbergia cochinchinensis)


hải đường

[haːj˧˩ ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩]

[haːj˧˨ ʔɗɨəŋ˦˩]

[haːj˨˩˦ ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩]


nhài

vi-noun

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

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

From ultimately from Sanskrit मल्लि (malli, “jasmine”), perhaps through Chinese 茉莉 (mạt lị, “jasmine”). The reduction of the first syllable can also be seen in Khmer ម្លិះ (mlih, “jasmine”).
Attested as mlài in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

(Northern Vietnam) paper fan pin (fastening slats, originally jasmine-shaped)


lựu

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


rệp

From Proto-Vietic *-reːp, from a Sino-Tibetan language. Compare Burmese ချိပ် (hkyip, “lac”) and Jingpho shakrep (“bug”).


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”)


dưa hấu

[zɨə˧˧ həw˧˦]

[jɨə˧˧ həw˨˩˦]

[jɨə˧˧ həw˦˥]

According to the Vietnamese folktale Sự tích trái dưa hấu (Legend of the Watermelon), the name dưa hấu derives from dưa (“melon”) + a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of 好 (SV: hảo), but this is most likely just folk etymology.
Compare also 煦 (SV: hú), which has an uncommon meaning 赤 "red" (according to Shuowen Jiezi and Yupian) and one of whose Old Chinese pronunciations was *qʰoʔ (ZS). If hấu indeed reflexed 煦 (OC *qʰoʔ), then dưa hấu would have been a compound of dưa (“melon”) + hấu ("red (obsolete)"), the latter referring to the color of the fruit's fresh.


kim ngân

[kim˧˧ ŋən˧˧]

[kim˧˧ ŋəŋ˧˧]

[kim˧˧ ŋəŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 金銀 (“gold and silver”).


báo săn

[ʔɓaːw˧˦ san˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ ʂaŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ saŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ ʂaŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ saŋ˧˧]

Calque of Chinese 獵豹 /猎豹 (lièbào, literally “hunting leopard”).


báo hoa mai

[ʔɓaːw˧˦ hwaː˧˧ maːj˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ hwaː˧˧ maːj˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ waː˧˧ maːj˧˧]

From báo (“large spotted felid”) + hoa mai (“Ochna integerrima, yellow mai flower”), so called due to the shape of the spots on their fur.


sư tử

[ʂɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]

[sɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]


báo sư tử

head

báo sư tử • (豹獅子)

[ʔɓaːw˧˦ sɨ˧˧ tɨ˧˩]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ ʂɨ˧˧ tɨ˧˨]

[ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ sɨ˧˧ tɨ˧˨]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ ʂɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]

[ʔɓaːw˦˥ sɨ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]

báo (“leopard; jaguar; cheetah”) + sư tử (“lion”).


chồn

Bát Giới kéo thây con chồn, theo Hành Giả ra khỏi động.

20th century [16th century], Wu Cheng'en, chapter 79, in Phan Kế Bính, transl., Journey to the West:

Bajie dragged the vixen’s corpse, and followed Pilgrim out of the cave.

Luke 9:58; also Matthew 8:20; 2011 Vietnamese translation from KPA version; 2021 English translation from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
[…] “Con chồn có hang, chim trời có tổ, nhưng Con Người không có chỗ tựa đầu.”
[…] “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

(dialectal, in translations of Chinese fictions or the Bible) fox


chồn

(chiefly in compounds) dead tired; exhausted; fatigued and stiff


thuốc lá

[tʰuək̚˧˦ laː˧˦]

[tʰuək̚˦˧˥ laː˨˩˦]

[tʰuək̚˦˥ laː˦˥]


giải

con (classifier)
螮 (CJK)
𩺌 (CJK)
蠏 (CJK)

Sino-Vietnamese word from 蟹 (“crab”). Compare cua đinh (“softshell turtle, 𧍏汀”, literally “crab of the river bank”). Such turtles have shells that resemble smooth crabs rather than hardshell turtles.

a kind of large soft-shell turtle ("various species in the family Trionychidae")


ổ

The letter ô with the hook above (dấu hỏi) to indicate a "mid-falling" tone (thanh hỏi) in its pronunciation.


cốc

cây (classifier)
quả (classifier)
trái (classifier)
谷 (CJK)

[kəwk͡p̚˦˧˥]


cốc

Uncertain. Glossed in Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum [Anmamese-Latin Dictionary] by Jean-Louis Taberd (1838).

[kəwk͡p̚˦˧˥]


sơn

vi-noun

(classifier cây (“the tree”)) sơn • (山, 杣, 𦘹)

cây (classifier)
山 (CJK)
杣 (CJK)
𦘹 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *k-rəːn (“black varnish tree”). Cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] kʰrəːn¹.

inh

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


chim ruồi

[t͡ɕim˧˧ ʐuj˦˩]


ruồi

From Proto-Vietic *m-rɔːj, from Proto-Austroasiatic *roaj (“fly (insect)”). Cognates include Pacoh riroi, Khmer រុយ (ruy), Car Nicobarese ṛūöi, Bahnar roi, Maleng mơroi.


sếu

Compare Khmer ក្រៀល (kriəl, “sarus crane”), Mon ကြေဲ (krea, “sarus crane”).
Probably originally imitative, compare Latin grūs, Yakut туруйа (turuya), Japanese 鶴 (tsuru).


ngựa vằn

[ŋɨə˧˨ʔ van˨˩]

[ŋɨə˨˩ʔ vaŋ˦˩]

[ŋɨə˨˩˨ vaŋ˨˩]

[ŋɨə˨˩˨ jaŋ˨˩]


ngọc lan

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

[ŋawk͡p̚˧˨ʔ laːn˧˧]

[ŋawk͡p̚˨˩ʔ laːŋ˧˧]

[ŋawk͡p̚˨˩˨ laːŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 玉蘭, composed of 玉 (“jade”) and 蘭 (“orchid”).


ngà

cái (classifier)
牙 (CJK)
𤘋 (CJK)
𬌘 (CJK)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 牙 (SV: nha).

der

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


ngư

Sino-Vietnamese word from 漁 (“to fish”).


cương

Audio (Hà Nội)


chó săn

[t͡ɕɔ˧˦ san˧˧]

[t͡ɕɔ˨˩˦ ʂaŋ˧˧]

[t͡ɕɔ˨˩˦ saŋ˧˧]

[cɔ˦˥ ʂaŋ˧˧]

[cɔ˦˥ saŋ˧˧]


giun

From Proto-Vietic *p-luːn ~ *p-ruːn, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *(b)ruun. Cognate with Khmer ព្រូន (pruun), Mon မြုန် (pərùn). Attested as Northern Middle Vietnamese blun in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).
Originally the Northern form, see giai for the sound change.
Trùn, from a non-Northern Middle Vietnamese form, is still widely used in these dialects.

tẩy/xổ giun

ngủ với giun

to die (literally, “to sleep with worms”)

Nhát gan chỉ núp mà run
Rồi thì cũng ngủ với giun thôi mà

2011, Trịnh Huy Ninh, transl., Viking hung bạo, translation of Horrible Histories: The Vicious Vikings by Terry Deary and Martin Brown, page 49:

Go ahead and hide during every battle
You will drop dead eventually


hồ li

Daji
King Zhou of Shang
huli jing
vi:Hồ ly tinh

Sino-Vietnamese word from 狐狸 (“fox”), shortened from Chinese 狐狸精 (hồ li tinh, “huli jing”, literally “fox spirit”). The most well-known of this kind is a fictitious counterpart of Daji, a female one that allured King Zhou of Shang into a reign of cruelty.

der

<i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">hồ li tinh</i>

(Chinese mythology) a type of fox yaoguai that disguises as a human; a fox in human's clothing


thảo

Sino-Vietnamese word from 草. Doublet of tháu.


lười

head

lười • (倈, 唻, 懶, 𢜞)

con (classifier)
倈 (CJK)
唻 (CJK)
懶 (CJK)
𢜞 (CJK)

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *laaj (“to dissolve; to melt; to become loose; idle”); cognate with Mon လဲာ (lài, “to dissolve, to come loose”).
The noun sense is likely a calque of French paresseux.


sầu đâu

[səw˨˩ ʔɗəw˧˧]

[ʂəw˦˩ ʔɗəw˧˧]

[səw˦˩ ʔɗəw˧˧]

[ʂəw˨˩ ʔɗəw˧˧]

[səw˨˩ ʔɗəw˧˧]

Borrowed from a neighbouring language. Compare Khmer ស្ដៅ (sdaw), Thai สะเดา (sà-dao).


sơ ri

[səː˧˧ ɹi˧˧]

[səː˧˧ zi˧˧]

[ʂəː˧˧ ɹɪj˧˧]

[səː˧˧ ɹɪj˧˧]

[ʂəː˧˧ ɹɪj˧˧]

[səː˧˧ ɹɪj˧˧]


mơ tây

[məː˧˧ təj˧˧]

[məː˧˧ təj˧˧]

[məː˧˧ təj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-mơ tây.wav

Audio (Hà Nội)


dưa vàng

[zɨə˧˧ vaːŋ˨˩]

[jɨə˧˧ vaːŋ˦˩]

[jɨə˧˧ vaːŋ˨˩]

[jɨə˧˧ jaːŋ˨˩]


hành tây

[hajŋ̟˨˩ təj˧˧]

[hɛɲ˦˩ təj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-hành tây.wav

Audio (Hà Nội)

hành (“scallion, spring onion”) + tây (“Western”).


cúc vu

[kʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥ vʊw˧˧]

[kʊwk͡p̚˦˥ vʊw˧˧]

[kʊwk͡p̚˦˥ jʊw˧˧]


cải xoong

[kaːj˧˩ sɔŋ˧˧]

[kaːj˧˨ sɔŋ͡m˧˧]

[kaːj˨˩˦ sɔŋ˧˧]

cải + xoong, the second element is from the second syllable of French cresson.


súp lơ

[sup̚˧˦ ləː˧˧]

[ʂup̚˦˧˥ ləː˧˧]

[sup̚˦˧˥ ləː˧˧]

[ʂʊp̚˦˥ ləː˧˧]

[sʊp̚˦˥ ləː˧˧]


cải bắp

[kaːj˧˩ ʔɓap̚˧˦]

[kaːj˧˨ ʔɓap̚˦˧˥]

[kaːj˨˩˦ ʔɓap̚˦˥]


kiệu

bông (classifier)
củ (classifier)
cây (classifier)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 韭 (SV: cửu).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Allium chinense
Allium chinense#Translingual


tê giác

Sino-Vietnamese word from 犀角 (“rhinoceros horn”).


ngô

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


mộc tê

[məwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ te˧˧]


bồ công anh

[ʔɓo˨˩ kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔajŋ̟˧˧]

[ʔɓow˦˩ kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɛɲ˧˧]

[ʔɓow˨˩ kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔan˧˧]


diên vĩ

[jiəŋ˧˧ vɪj˧˨]

[jiəŋ˧˧ vɪj˨˩˦]

[jiəŋ˧˧ jɪj˨˩˦]


vũ

Sino-Vietnamese word from 羽 (“feather”).

lông vũ


vũ

Sino-Vietnamese word from 武. See also võ.


cắc kè

[kak̚˧˦ kɛ˨˩]

[kak̚˦˧˥ kɛ˦˩]

[kak̚˦˥ kɛ˨˩]

Onomatopoeic. Compare cắc ké and also English gecko.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) gecko


tắc kè

[tak̚˧˦ kɛ˨˩]

[tak̚˦˧˥ kɛ˦˩]

[tak̚˦˥ kɛ˨˩]

Onomatopoeic. Compare Indonesian tokek, Thai ตุ๊กแก (dtúk-gɛɛ) and Burmese တောက်တဲ့ (tauktai.).


mổ

(gõ) mổ cò (to type key by key)