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


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


trăn

From Middle Vietnamese tlan, 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”).

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


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 Middle Vietnamese 蠬 (ròu᷄), from Proto-Vietic *-roːŋ, from Old Chinese 龍 (OC *[mə]-roŋ) (B-S) (SV: long). Compare also Khmer រោង (roong, “Year of the Dragon”).


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.


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.

vi-etym-sino

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


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”).


rắn

head

rắn • (𧋻, 破散)

From Middle Vietnamese rắn, 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).

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


rắn hổ mang

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ how˧˨ maːŋ˧˧]

[ɹaŋ˦˥ how˨˩˦ maːŋ˧˧]


hổ

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


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”).


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")


tắc kè

[tak̚˧˦ kɛ˨˩]

[tak̚˦˧˥ kɛ˦˩]

[tak̚˦˥ kɛ˨˩]

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


cắc kè

[kak̚˧˦ kɛ˨˩]

[kak̚˦˧˥ kɛ˦˩]

[kak̚˦˥ kɛ˨˩]

Onomatopoeic. Compare cắc ké and also English gecko.


quy

(Chinese mythology) the Turtle, one of the Four Benevolent Animals


kì nhông

[ki˨˩ ɲəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[kɪj˦˩ ɲəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[kɪj˨˩ ɲəwŋ͡m˧˧]

The first element might originally be a presyllable. Related to kì giông and North Central chôông.
There is also the form without the presyllable (nhông).

Kì Nhông là ông Kì Đà, Kì Đà là cha Cắc Ké, Cắc Ké là mẹ Kì Nhông.

Iguana is Monitor's grandpa, Monitor is Gecko's father, Gecko is Iguana's mother.


vích

olive ridley sea turtle
olive ridley sea turtle


Tị

the sixth earthly branch represented by the Snake


ba ba

[ʔɓaː˧˧ ʔɓaː˧˧]

[ʔɓaː˧˧ ʔɓaː˧˧]

[ʔɓaː˧˧ ʔɓaː˧˧]

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *t₁paʔ (“turtle”). Cognate with Proto-Bahnaric *tpaː (“turtle”) (whence Bahnar tơpa), Proto-Katuic *tpaa (“soft-shelled turtle”), Samre m̩pʰaː, Khmu [Cuang] tmpaʔ and Mang maː¹ paː². Compare Proto-Austronesian *qaCipa (“soft-shelled turtle”).


thạch sùng

[tʰajk̟̚˧˨ʔ sʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

[tʰat̚˨˩ʔ ʂʊwŋ͡m˦˩]

[tʰat̚˨˩ʔ sʊwŋ͡m˦˩]

[tʰat̚˨˩˨ ʂʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

[tʰat̚˨˩˨ sʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

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

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) a common house gecko


đồi mồi

head

đồi mồi • (玳瑁)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 玳瑁 (SV: đại mội). Compare Mandarin 玳瑁 (dàimào, đại mạo / dàimèi, đại mội), Cantonese 玳瑁 (doi⁶ mui⁶, đại mội), Japanese 玳瑁 (taimai, đại mội), Korean 대모 (daemo, from Chinese 玳瑁 (đại mạo)). Compare also loài and loại, vì and vị, mùi and vị, từ and tự, ngoài and ngoại.

der

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

cog

from Chinese <i class="Hani mention" lang="zh">玳瑁</i> (đại mạo)

hawksbill sea turtle
hawksbill sea turtle#English


tam giác long

[taːm˧˧ jaːk̚˦˧˥ lawŋ͡m˧˧]

[taːm˧˧ jaːk̚˦˧˥ lɔŋ˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-tam giác long.wav


Bò sát

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ saːt̚˧˦]

[ʔɓɔ˦˩ ʂaːk̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɔ˦˩ saːk̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ ʂaːk̚˦˥]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ saːk̚˦˥]

bò + sát, referring to the fact that most extant reptiles crawl (bò) with their belly near (sát) the ground.


mối

From Proto-Vietic *ɓoːlʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɓulʔ ~ *ɓuəl(); cognate with Proto-Bahnaric *ɓuəl ~ *buəl and Mang ɓoːl⁴.

Hemidactylus frenatus
Hemidactylus frenatus#Translingual

(dialectal) common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)


thuồng luồng

[tʰuəŋ˨˩ luəŋ˨˩]

[tʰuəŋ˦˩ luəŋ˦˩]

[tʰuəŋ˨˩ luəŋ˨˩]

Disyllabic non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 龍 (SV: long) (Maspero, 1912). Compare rồng.

der

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


rắn mối

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ moj˨˩˦]

[ɹaŋ˦˥ moj˦˥]

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

com

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) skink


thằn lằn bóng

[tʰan˨˩ lan˨˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˦]

[tʰaŋ˦˩ laŋ˦˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˧˥]

[tʰaŋ˦˩ laŋ˦˩ ʔɓɔŋ˦˧˥]

[tʰaŋ˨˩ laŋ˨˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˥]

thằn lằn (“lizard”) + bóng (“shiny, smooth”).


khủng long bạo chúa

[xʊwŋ͡m˧˩ lawŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaːw˧˨ʔ t͡ɕuə˧˦]

[kʰʊwŋ͡m˧˨ lawŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaːw˨˩ʔ t͡ɕuə˨˩˦]

[xʊwŋ͡m˧˨ lɔŋ˧˧ ʔɓaːw˨˩ʔ t͡ɕuə˨˩˦]

[kʰʊwŋ͡m˨˩˦ lawŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaːw˨˩˨ cuə˦˥]

[xʊwŋ͡m˨˩˦ lawŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaːw˨˩˨ cuə˦˥]

khủng long (“dinosaur”) + bạo chúa (“tyrant”), calque of New Latin Tyrannosaurus or Tyrannosaurus rex.


kì đà

[ki˨˩ ʔɗaː˨˩]

[kɪj˦˩ ʔɗaː˦˩]

[kɪj˨˩ ʔɗaː˨˩]

From Proto-Vietic *daː. Cognate with Arem kadɑː. See also cự đà.
Discounting reduplicatives and prefixal words (like cà giựt and bồ nông), this is one of the true disyllabic words in Vietnamese, see thằn lằn, mồ hôi, kì nhông, bồ hóng for some more examples.

Không phải cá sấu, mà cũng không phải là kỳ đà. Kỳ đà thì mõm nhọn chứ!

1957, Đoàn Giỏi, chapter 18, in Đất rừng phương Nam, Kim Đồng:

It isn't a crocodile, but it isn't a monitor either. Monitors have a sharp snout!


cua đinh

[kuə˧˧ ʔɗïŋ˧˧]

[kuə˧˧ ʔɗɨn˧˧]

[kuə˧˧ ʔɗɨn˧˧]

cua (“crab”) + đinh (“(obsolete) riverbank”). Compare giải (“large softshell turtle”); also derived from "crab".


rắn cạp nong

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ kaːp̚˨˩ʔ nawŋ͡m˧˧]

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ kaːp̚˨˩ʔ nɔŋ˧˧]

[ɹaŋ˦˥ kaːp̚˨˩˨ nawŋ͡m˧˧]


rắn lục

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ lʊwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ]

[ɹaŋ˦˥ lʊwk͡p̚˨˩˨]


rắn cạp nia

[zan˧˦ kaːp̚˧˨ʔ niə˧˧]

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ kaːp̚˨˩ʔ niə˧˧]

[ɹaŋ˦˥ kaːp̚˨˩˨ niə˧˧]


rắn cạp nia biển

[zan˧˦ kaːp̚˧˨ʔ niə˧˧ ʔɓiən˧˩]

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ kaːp̚˨˩ʔ niə˧˧ ʔɓiəŋ˧˨]

[ɹaŋ˦˥ kaːp̚˨˩˨ niə˧˧ ʔɓiəŋ˨˩˦]

rắn cạp nia (“Malayan krait”) + biển (“sea”)


sấu

From Proto-Vietic *k-ruːʔ (“crocodile”). Cognate with Muong Bi khủ (“aquatic monster”).


sấu

vi-noun

(classifier cây, trái, quả) sấu • (㮴, 蓃)

cây (classifier)
trái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
㮴 (CJK)
蓃 (CJK)

Dracontomelon duperreanum, a species of flowering plants in the Anacardiaceae (cashew family).


rắn đuôi chuông

[zan˧˦ ʔɗuəj˧˧ t͡ɕuəŋ˧˧]

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ ʔɗuj˧˧ t͡ɕuəŋ˧˧]

[ɹaŋ˦˥ ʔɗuj˧˧ cuəŋ˧˧]

rắn (“non-constricting snake”) + đuôi (“tail”) + chuông (“bell”)


三角龍

chữ Hán form of tam giác long (“triceratops”).


rắn hổ

[ʐaŋ˦˧˥ how˧˨]

[ɹaŋ˦˥ how˨˩˦]

(rắn) hổ mang

(rắn) hổ mang chúa

(rắn) hổ trâu

(rắn) hổ lửa


Huyền Vũ

[hwiəŋ˦˩ vʊw˧˨]

[wiəŋ˨˩ vʊw˨˩˦]

[wiəŋ˨˩ jʊw˨˩˦]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 玄武, composed of 玄 (“black”) and 武 (“warrior”), from Literary Chinese 玄武 (Xuánwǔ).


mãng xà

[maːŋ˦ˀ˥ saː˨˩]

[maːŋ˧˨ saː˦˩]

[maːŋ˨˩˦ saː˨˩]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 蟒蛇, composed of 蟒 (“python”) and 蛇 (“snake”). The mythological sense is probably a Vietnamese innovation.

a kind of giant, monstrous, wicked snake or serpent in Vietnamese folklore


chàm quạp

[t͡ɕaːm˨˩ kwaːp̚˧˨ʔ]

[t͡ɕaːm˦˩ kwaːp̚˨˩ʔ]

[caːm˨˩ waːp̚˨˩˨]


chôông

[t͡ɕoŋ˧˥ ~ coŋ˧˥]

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

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

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

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


chanh chách

[t͡ɕajŋ̟˧˧ t͡ɕajk̟̚˧˦]

[t͡ɕɛɲ˧˧ t͡ɕat̚˦˧˥]

Onomatopoeic, from the sound they make.
Seems to distribute in the northern portion of coastal Northern Vietnam, particularly Hải Phòng and Quảng Ninh.

(certain coastal dialects of Northern Vietnam) common house gecko


kì tôm

Chinese water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus)


hổ mang

[ho˧˩ maːŋ˧˧]

[how˨˩˦ maːŋ˧˧]


mai gầm

[maːj˧˧ ɣəm˨˩]

[maːj˧˧ ɣəm˦˩]

[maːj˧˧ ɣəm˨˩]

The element mai is either inherited from Proto-Vietic, or, more likely, borrowed from another Austroasiatic language. In any case, cognate with Muong Bi màl (“banded krait”) and Proto-Khmuic *maːr (“snake”) (whence Phong-Kniang maːr ("snake")).
Since cognates of this word in other Austroasiatic branches mean "to crawl" (cf. Pacoh môr), and only developed the meaning of "snake" in Vietic and Khmuic, if Vietnamese mai was borrowed and not inherited, it could only have had borrowed from a fellow Vietic language (such as a Muong lect) or from Khmuic.


càng cuốc

[kaːŋ˨˩ kuək̚˧˦]

[kaːŋ˦˩ kuək̚˦˧˥]

[kaːŋ˨˩ kuək̚˦˥]


càng đước

[kaːŋ˨˩ ʔɗɨək̚˧˦]

[kaːŋ˦˩ ʔɗɨək̚˦˧˥]

[kaːŋ˨˩ ʔɗɨək̚˦˥]

yellow-headed temple turtle (Heosemys annandalii)


liu điu

kind of long-tailed lizard (Takydromus sp.)