人

(Northern Vietnam) chữ Hán form of nhân (“human”).


go

4° Lớp ếch nhái ( Batraciens ) Có máu lạnh; lái tim có 3 ngăn; vật ấy hoá hình, lúc bé có go để thở dưới nước rồi thay go lấy phổi để thở trong khí giời; có da trơn trụi lông; thường có 4 chân; hầu hết đẻ trứng.
4° Amphibians ( Batraciens ) are ectothermic; they have three-chambered hearts and undergo metamorphosis, as when they are juvenile, they have gills to breathe underwater but lose their gills for lungs in order to breathe air; their skin is smooth and furless; they are often quadruped; most are oviparous.

1920, François Chaize [Cố Thịnh], “Phần II. Hạng vật có xương sống (Vertébrés)”, in Địa cầu vạn vật luận - Động vật (Histoire naturelle - zoologie)

鰓 Tai = go cá, ouïes.
鰓 Tai = fish gills, ouïes.

1920, Nguyễn Can Mộng, “Bài 50”, in Nam học Hán văn khoá bản


u

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


nghe

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

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

Quái, sao cứ nghe mùi thum thủm?

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

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

(colloquial, chiefly Northern Vietnam) to smell


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.

cog

Thai น้อยหน่า (nɔ́ɔi-nàa)

Annona squamosa
Annona squamosa#Translingual

(Northern Vietnam) sugar apple (Annona squamosa)


là

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

Là trong "giặt là hơi" là là chứ không phải là là.
The là in "giặt là hơi" means ironing, not being. / "Giặt là hơi" means "wash and iron with steam", not "wash is steam".


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.

Cái Bống là cái bống bang

Khéo sảy khéo sàng cho mẹ nấu cơm

Mẹ Bống đi chợ đường trơn

Bống ra gánh đỡ chạy cơn mưa ròng.
Oh, Little, Little Goby
Sieves the rice so skillfully, so that Mommy can cook it.
Goby's Mommy has returned from the market on a slippy road
Goby goes help her carry the pole, to get away from the heavy rain.

(Northern Vietnam) Title affixed to rural young girls' names.


roi

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

Syzygium samarangense
Syzygium samarangense#Translingual

(Northern Vietnam) Syzygium samarangense (wax apple)


dóm

Thường khi đến gà gáy, Mỵ dậy ra bếp sưởi một lúc thật lâu, các chị em trong nhà mới bắt đầu ra dóm lò bung ngô, nấu cháo lợn.
When the rooster crows, [while] Mỵ has sat by the stove for long to warm herself up, the other housewives just get up to start heating up the ovens, shelling the corns and making the congee for pigs.

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


bát

Sino-Vietnamese word from 缽 (“earthen bowl”), ultimately from Sanskrit पात्र (pātra).

vi-etym-sino

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


ang

head

盎, 𤮃, 坱, 央, 垵

vi-noun

盎, 𤮃, 坱, 央, 垵

cái (classifier)
盎 (CJK)
𤮃 (CJK)
坱 (CJK)
央 (CJK)
垵 (CJK)

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

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 盎 (SV: áng).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(Northern Vietnam) a kind of water container


kín

Chiều hôm ấy thị Nở cũng ra sông kín nước như mọi chiều.

That afternoon, as always, Nở went to the river to fetch some water.


cót

Compare the village name Cót or Kẻ Cót (tên chữ (“literary name”) Yên Quyết 安決).

(Northern Vietnam) a kind of sheet woven from bamboos

(Northern Vietnam) cylindrical container comprising of a coiled bamboo sheet wall and a winnowing basket at the bottom, used for storing unhusked rice or maize


tôi

Related to Proto-Katuic *sool (“slave”) (whence Pacoh xoul (“slave”)). Cognate with Muong thôl (a humble first-person pronoun). See also Central-Southern form tui.
“Slave; servant” > “I”.
The development of first-person pronoun from humble nouns such as “slave; servant” is a pan-Sprachbund phenomenon in the Southeast and East Asian region. Per Nguyen (2000), the pronominal use of this word was not attested in poems by Nguyễn Trãi and Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm in the 15ᵗʰ–16ᵗʰ centuries, and was postulated to have appeared at the end of the 16ᵗʰ or the beginning of the 17ᵗʰ century. Its introduction as a humble first-person pronoun posed as a disturbance to the preexisting tao–mày system: it resulted in an asymmetry with an empty second-person addressee slot corresponding to the humble tôi (see the table below), and led to the use of an appropriate noun, usually a kinship term or status term, to respectfully address the other party, precipitating the now-widespread use of kinship terms as personal pronouns in Vietnamese.
:
For similar grammaticalizations of pronouns, compare tớ, and in other languages, compare:
: Japanese 僕 (boku), Mandarin 奴 (nú), Khmer ខ្ញុំ (khñom), Thai ข้า (kâa), Lao ຂ້ອຍ (khǭi), Burmese ကျွန်မ (kywanma.), Malay hamba.

cog

Không dám. Tôi sao sánh bằng chú được.

(Northern Vietnam, informal, typically men's speech) I/me (used by someone with status equal or higher than his or her conversational partner, but doesn't want to sound too intimate to them)

Bà ơi, cho tôi xin tờ giấy.

Cái bà này lạ ! Làm sao tôi biết được !

Aren't you a funny one? How the hell should I know?

(Northern Vietnam, informal, familiar) I/me (used when talking to one's friends)


chè

Tai Dam: ꪵꪋ

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) tea (plant)

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) tea (drink)


làng

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

Probably from a Hmong-Mien language, compare Iu Mien laangz (“village”).

(especially Northern Vietnam) a village (rural habitation of size between a hamlet and a town)


màn

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 幔 (SV: mạn).

der

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


cháu

From Middle Vietnamese cháu, from Proto-Vietic *cuːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *cuuʔ. Cognate with Muong [Bi] chảu (“son-in-law”), Khmer ចៅ (caw), Bahnar sŏu/sâu, Pacoh achau, Khasi 'siew.

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) I/me, your nephew, niece or grandchild

(Northern Vietnam) I/me, someone who's not your child and who's a lot younger than you

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) you, my nephew, niece or grandchild

(Northern Vietnam) you, someone who's not my child and who's a lot younger than me


ô

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
𢄓 (CJK)

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) umbrella (cloth-covered frame used for protection against rain or sun)


mũ

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
𢃱 (CJK)

→ Tai Dam: ꪣꪴ꫁

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

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 帽 (“hat, cap”, SV: mạo). The circumflex (^), as used as a diacritical mark and for exponentiation, resembles certain types of hats.

der

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


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


sắn

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

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


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.

(especially Northern Vietnam) piece of fruit

quả trầu

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

Tao đấm cho mày một quả bây giờ!

(Northern Vietnam) punch (a hit or strike with one's fist)


quả

quả bóng

quả trứng

quả tim

(especially Northern Vietnam) Refers to anything round, such as a piece of fruit.


ảnh

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) photograph; picture


hương

Sino-Vietnamese word from 香 (“fragrance”). Compare Japanese 香 (kō, “incense”).

thắp hương

to burn incense on an altar or at a grave

hương muỗi


rẽ

(Northern Vietnam) to turn (to another path)


bố

From Late-Vietic *poːʔ, related to Chinese 父 (MC pjuX|bjuX) (SV: phụ) likely through a Tai language. Compare Proto-Tai *boːᴮ, whence Thai พ่อ (pɔ̂ɔ). Ultimately a nursery word.

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


bố

(Northern Vietnam) he/him, your/my father

(Northern Vietnam, ironic) you, a male who I'm thinking is being stupid


đá

From Proto-Vietic *taʔ; cognate with Arem tʌːˀ.


hôn

From Proto-Vietic *huːɲ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɟʔuuɲ ~ *ɟhuuɲ (Shorto). Compare Central and Southern Vietnamese hun, Proto-Katuic *huuɲ ~ *huoɲ (“to smell, to sniff”) (whence Kuy huːɲ ("to smell, to sniff") and Pacoh hunh (“to kiss”)), Kensiu ʔɔɲ ("to smell, to sniff, to kiss").
Insertion of initial *h in Vietic can also be seen in *tŋ-ʔaːm (“jaw”) (> Vietnamese hàm, Late Vietic), *heːt (“finished”) (> Vietnamese hết), *hanʔ (“he, she, it”) (> Vietnamese hắn), *haːr (“two”) (> Vietnamese hai), *hoːj (“foul-smelling”) (> Vietnamese hôi), *hɔːŋʔ (“river, brook”), *haːŋʔ (“to open (mouth)”).

cog

(Northern Vietnam, formal in other dialects, especially on the lips) to kiss


đắt

head

坦, 得, 怛, 𠶒, 𠿲, 𧶬, 󰕤

đắt • (坦, 得, 怛, 𠶒, 𠿲, 𧶬, 󰕤)

vi-adj

坦, 得, 怛, 𠶒, 𠿲, 𧶬, 󰕤

đắt • (坦, 得, 怛, 𠶒, 𠿲, 𧶬, 󰕤)

坦 (CJK)
得 (CJK)
怛 (CJK)
𠶒 (CJK)
𠿲 (CJK)
𧶬 (CJK)

đắt tiền

(Northern Vietnam) expensive; dear; costly


thìa

cái (classifier)
𠤧 (CJK)
𣼮 (CJK)
𨫉 (CJK)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 匙 (“spoon”, SV: thi). Compare chìa.

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(Northern Vietnam) spoon (scooped utensil for eating (or serving))


dứa

vi-noun

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

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

From Middle Vietnamese giứa, from Proto-Vietic *-caːʔ (“pandanus”), with pandanus now being called dứa dại.
The etymological spelling giứa is now virtually never used, being replaced by dứa.


đi

From Proto-Vietic *diː ~ tiː (“to go, to walk”); cognate with Muong ti, Chut [Rục] tiː², Thavung tiː² and Tho [Cuối Chăm] tiː².
The similarity to 移 (SV: di) is purely coincidental (a false cognate).
The development of the verb "to go" into an imperative marker is a Sprachbund phenomenon. Wu & Huang (2018) and de Sousa (2022) discuss similar usage of "to go" in the Northern Tai and Sinitic lects of Guangxi in particular (Zhuang bae, Nanning Cantonese 去 (hy³³), etc.)

inh

mèo đi hia


lạc

Sino-Vietnamese word from 落 (“to fall; to lose; to stray; lost”). For the "groundnut" sense, compare Chinese 落花生 (luòhuāshēng, “groundnut”).

vi-etym-sino

Một năm đã đi qua. Mùa xuân thứ hai đã đến. Màu xanh thẫm của đỗ, của ngô, của lạc, màu xanh non của lá mạ, màu đỏ tươi của ớt chín lấn dần lên các thứ màu nham nhở, man rợ khác của đất hoang...

1960, Nguyễn Khải, Mùa Lạc (Peanut Season)

One year already went by. The second spring has come. The dark-green color of beans, of maizes, of peanuts, the light-green color of rice-seedlings, the bright-red hue of ripe capsicums, are steadily overtaking the wasteland's barbaric, blotchy colors.


chúng ta

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦ taː˧˧]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ taː˧˧]

[cʊwŋ͡m˦˥ taː˧˧]

chúng (pluralising particle) + ta (“I; me”).

compound

Chúng ta có hiểu không ạ?

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial) you guys; y'all


giò lụa

[zɔ˨˩ luə˧˨ʔ]

[jɔ˦˩ luə˨˩ʔ]

[jɔ˨˩ luə˨˩˨]

(Northern Vietnam) Vietnamese pork sausage


đậu phụ

[ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ fu˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ fʊw˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗəw˨˩˨ fʊw˨˩˨]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-đậu phụ.wav

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 豆腐 (“tofu”, SV: đậu hủ). Doublet of đậu hủ, tàu hủ, and tào phớ.

der

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


chấy rận

[t͡ɕəj˧˦ zən˧˨ʔ]

[t͡ɕəj˨˩˦ ʐəŋ˨˩ʔ]

[cəj˦˥ ɹəŋ˨˩˨]

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

com

(Northern Vietnam) louse, lice (generally speaking)


chấy

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

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


tư

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

hai mươi tư

một trăm linh tư

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, only in compounds) four


nem rán

[nɛm˧˧ ʐaːŋ˦˧˥]

[nɛm˧˧ ɹaːŋ˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) spring roll (shredded vegetables wrapped in a pancake)


béo

→ Tày: bẻo


ả

(Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, derogatory) villainess


bẩn

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

(Northern Vietnam) dirty; unclean; filthy

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial) bad; mean; despicable


thổi

From Proto-Vietic *tuːs ~ *tʰuːs; probably of imitative origin.


ngã

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

thanh ngã

ngã gục

gục ngã

sa ngã

ngã ngửa

to fall with one's back against the ground

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, of a person) to fall on the ground while standing on it in a tripping, toppling or collapsing motion; compare vấp (“to trip”), rơi (“to fall from a height”, of a person or object) and sụp đổ (“to fall or collapse”, of a building or system)


thối

2003: Văn học Việt Nam Thế kỷ XX 1:16, Mai Quốc Liên and Nguyễn Văn Lưu ed., compiled by Hoài Anh, Văn Học Publishing House, p. 890 //books.google.com/books?id=WGhkAAAAMAAJ
Từ đám thuyển ấy, tỏa ra mùi thơm lừng của cam chín, mùi ung ủng của cam thối, làm ngây ngất một khoảng bến.
From that group of boats arose the fragrance of ripe oranges and the odor of rotten oranges, overtaking the whole wharf.

1939: Ngô Tất Tố, Lều chõng
(Chapter 3) Nếu anh không vứt hai tiếng huynh ông vào lọ mắm thối của anh, thì tôi đứng dậy lập tức, không thèm nói với anh một câu nào nữa.
If you don't throw away those two words "huynh" and "ông" [both terms of respect] into that stinking fish sauce vial of yours, then I'm going to stand up right away and not say one more word to you.
(Chapter 20) Nào cú kêu, khỉ ho, nào dế giun rên khóc, thỉnh thoảng lại thêm những tiếng cọp gầm theo với ngọn gió tanh tanh thối thối ở nẻo xa xa đưa lại.
Owls howling, monkeys whooping, crickets and worms moaning and groaning, occasionally even the sound of a tiger roaring followed by a stinking, stinking wind blowing in from afar.

1961: Nguyễn Huy Tưởng, chapter 12, Sống mãi với Thủ Đô
Tờ mờ sáng, sau khi những người đói còn sống sót toả đi các phố, xin ăn, ông lại rửa ráy sạch sẽ những chỗ vỉa hè, họ vừa nằm vừa bậy ra hôi thối đến lộn mửa.
In the twilight of dawn, after the hungry who survived dispersed into the streets, begging for food, he returned to wash clean the sidewalks which they had lain in and desecrated, raising a vomitous stench.

2001: National Assembly of Vietnam, Law on traffic on the roads of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam 2001 (26/2001/QH10), Title VI, article 61, section 3(i), translation from http://www.moj.gov.vn/vbpq/en/Lists/Vn%20bn%20php%20lut/View_Detail.aspx?ItemID=9491

Not transporting dangerous goods, fetid goods, diseased animals or goods adversely affecting the passengers' health

Cấm chở hàng nguy hiểm, hàng có mùi hôi thối, súc vật đang bị dịch bệnh hoặc hàng có ảnh hưởng đến sức khoẻ của khách

thối như cóc chết

(Northern Vietnam) fetid, putrid, stinking, foul-smelling (with the smell of a decomposing body, of rotting food, especially rotting fruit, or of dung)

2000: Chu Cẩm Phong, Nhật ký Chu Cẩm Phong (Nhà văn - chiến sĩ), Thanh Niên Publishing House, p. 137 //books.google.com/books?id=KHRuAAAAMAAJ
Phải đi khắp tỉnh, đào bới lục lọi xin bom thối.
I had to go all over the province, digging and rummaging for unexploded bombs.

(Northern Vietnam, of a bomb) unexploded


thối

Mũi anh nhăn lại như ngửi thấy mùi xác thối.

He wrinkled his nose as if he had smelled a rotting corpse.

1955: Lu Xun (translated by Phan Khôi), "Làng quê" (Village Opera), Tuyển tập tiểu thuyết Lỗ Tấn (Selected Stories of Lu Hsun)

No matter what you plant or shoot, you still have to pay several levels of taxes, incurring losses, but don't take the goods to market and they'll rot.

Trồng trọt ra cái gì, gánh đi bán, đều phải nộp mấy lớp thuế, lỗ vốn ; không đem đi bán, lại mục thối ra...

1983: Nguyễn Phan Hách, Tan Mây: tiểu thuyết, Tác Phẩm Mới, p. 43 //books.google.com/books?id=puZcAAAAIAAJ
Nhưng mà hôm nay không bán, để phiên chợ sau thì chuối thối hết.
But if you don't sell it today and keep it for the next market day, then the bananas will all rot.

Trứng thối.

Cây cối ngập nước thối hết.

The vegetation became submerged in water and completely rotted.

1998: 40 Truyện Trạng Quỳnh [40 Tales About Trạng Quỳnh], Nguyễn Đức Hiền ed. (translated by Nguyễn Đình Phương into English), Văn Nghệ Publishing House, p. 108 //books.google.com/books?id=WYlkAAAAMAAJ
Nhưng văn tôi dở, thối om không ngủi nổi, xin các quan đừng xem!
But my words fail me, it stinks so much I can't stand it, please don't look!

2002: Nguyẽ̂n Duy Thiệu, Cộng đò̂ng ngư dân ở Việt Nam, Social Sciences Publishing House, p. 23 //books.google.com/books?id=FVLtAAAAMAAJ
Sáng hôm sau họ quay lại tìm vết chân của quân địch, nhưng... ngoài quả lựu đạn thối không nổ, mặt cát vẫn phẳng lỳ chẳng hề có vết chân nào.
The next morning they returned to look for signs of enemy soldiers, but... apart from unexploded dud grenades, the sand was even with hardly a footprint.

(Northern Vietnam, of a bomb) to be a dud, to refuse to explode


sống

雄 Hùng = chim sống, oiseau mâle.
雄 Hùng = a male bird, oiseau mâle.

1920, Nguyễn Can Mộng, “Bài 48”, in Nam học Hán văn khoá bản

Vừa nói đến đấy thì nghe bên nhà tôi có tiếng người nói to, con dỏ nhà tôi chạy ra ngơ ngác như tìm một vật gì. Tôi hỏi thì nó trả lời:
— Nhà mất con gà, con gà sống thiến to nhất...

As soon as I said that, I heard a loud voice coming from the house, then my little daughter ran out looking bewildered as if searching for something. When I asked, she said:
—A chicken has gone missing, our biggest castrated rooster...


mướp đắng

[mɨəp̚˧˦ ʔɗaŋ˧˦]

[mɨəp̚˦˧˥ ʔɗaŋ˦˧˥]

[mɨəp̚˦˥ ʔɗaŋ˦˥]

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

cal

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

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


đốt

head

đốt • (焠, 󱦭)

vi-verb

đốt • (焠, 󱦭)

From Proto-Vietic *toːc (“to bite (snake), to sting”).

inh

bị ong đốt

(transitive, Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam, of an insect) to sting


dưa chuột

[zɨə˧˧ t͡ɕuət̚˧˨ʔ]

[jɨə˧˧ t͡ɕuək̚˨˩ʔ]

[jɨə˧˧ cuək̚˨˩˨]


mình

head

命, 𠇮, 𠵴, 𨉓, 𨉟

vi-pronoun

命, 𠇮, 𠵴, 𨉓, 𨉟

From Middle Vietnamese mềnh, mình.
The form mềnh appears to be more conservative and was widely used in the Northern dialects, while the now common form mình seems to be originally Central-Southern. In Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651), a dictionary based chiefly on the Northern dialects, mềnh was the much more common form. In Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1838), a dictionary based chiefly on the Southern dialects, the form mềnh has no entry, while mình is abundantly attested. The Muong Bi cognate miềnh also points to mềnh as being the more conservative form (cf. Vietnamese đến vs. Muong Bi tiểnh, Vietnamese ếch vs. Muong Bi iếch, etc.)
Compare bệnh vs. bịnh, nghênh vs. nghinh, lệnh vs. lịnh.
For the semantic relationship, compare Chinese 身 (shēn, “body > oneself”) as well as Japanese 胴 (dō, “torso”), which came to mean "oneself" in Kyūshū.

Chồng: Mình ơi, anh yêu mình.
Vợ: Mình ơi, em cũng yêu mình.
Husband: Dear, I love you.
Wife: Dear, I love you too.

Ta với mình, mình với ta
Lòng ta sau trước mặn mà đinh ninh
Mình đi, mình lại nhớ mình

1954, Tố Hữu, “Việt Bắc”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)

You and me, my dear, we are one together
My heart always remains devoted to you
As I'm leaving, I can't stop missing you, a part of me
Our affection is as abundant as streaming water

Nguồn bao nhiêu nước nghĩa tình bấy nhiêu

(Northern Vietnam, endearing) you (used for one's spouse)


vâng

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

A cognate is found in Eastern Cham peng (“to obey”) (Shin'e & Sakaya, 2014), which might be a rather late Vietnamese loan as suggested by its monosyllabic shape.


dạ

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

giạ (northern Vietnam, southern Vietnam)

(Northern Vietnam, dialectal) say again?


sắc

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

thanh sắc

the phonemic tone as in the word sắc; either of the phonetic tones as in the words sắc (a checked tone) and sắn

sắc sảo

(Northern Vietnam) sharp (able to cut easily)


mách

Về em mách mẹ cho anh xem.

I'm telling Mom when we get home. Just you wait.

(Northern Vietnam) to tattle; to rat on; to grass on; to tell on


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)).


điêu

Người đâu mà điêu ngoa !

Đừng có điêu ! Không đời nào mày làm nổi !

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) habitually dishonest; very inclined to lie


cúc

[kʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]


cơ

Không chịu đâu ! Mẹ phải đi cùng cơ !

(literally, “I'm not OK with that! Mom must go with us, and that's the only way I'll accept!”)

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, colloquial, childish) it must be this way, not any other; my way or no way


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

Thằng bé chúa bướng.


quất

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

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


cuốc

[…] cu᷄̃ chg̉ muốn lấy con Vua Chúa ngoại cuốc.

1822, Philipphê Bỉnh, Sách sổ sang chép các việc, page 247

[…] and she also did not want to marry a son of some foreign country's king.

Các đấng Vítvồ sẽ ra sức khuôn xếp mọi đàng để các thày cả được hòa thuận ăn ở cho có tình nghĩa anh em thật vuối nhau, nhất là các thày cả missionariô và các thày cả bản cuốc được hợp nhất vuối nhau.

1915, Synodo Tunquinensé. Công đồng hội lần thứ nhất. Miền Bắc Kỳ (Đàng Ngoài trong nước Annam), năm 1900., II edition

Our bishops shall help preparing everything so that all the fathers can live together in harmony, especially between the fathers who are missionaries and those who are natives.

(uncommon, obsolete) Northern Vietnam form of quốc


lợn rừng

[ləːn˧˨ʔ zɨŋ˨˩]

[ləːŋ˨˩ʔ ʐɨŋ˦˩]

[ləːŋ˨˩˨ ɹɨŋ˨˩]

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


củ đậu

[ku˧˩ ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ]

[kʊw˧˨ ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ]

[kʊw˨˩˦ ʔɗəw˨˩˨]


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.

Ơ con lợn này!

(derogatory, vulgar) a contemptible, objectionable person.

a person:
a contemptible, objectionable person.

Con lợn này ham ăn vãi!

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) a person:
(figurative, derogatory) a glutton.

Bụng con lợn này to vãi cả chưởng!

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) a person:
(figurative, humorous) a fat person.


nhài

vi-noun

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

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

From Northern Middle Vietnamese mlài, from Chinese 茉莉 (mạt lị, “jasmine”), with the reduction of first syllable of the Chinese term into /m/.

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


rốn

cái (classifier)
𦜞 (CJK)
𦠆 (CJK)
𦡋 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *p-suːɲʔ. Cognate with Muong Bi thủnh.

(Northern Vietnam, anatomy) a navel; a belly button

đún

no lenition, no vowel lowering, irregular onset


muộn

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

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

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) late; tardy


nến

cây (classifier)
ngọn (classifier)
𢆭 (CJK)
𤓢 (CJK)

Ba là cây nến vàng,
Mẹ là cây nến xanh,
Con là cây nến hồng.
Ba ngọn nến lung linh
A à á a à
Thắp sáng một gia đình.
Daddy's the yellow candle,

(Can we date this quote?), Ngọc Lễ (lyrics and music), “Ba ngọn nến lung linh [Three Sparkling Candles]”

Baby's the pink candle.
We, three sparkling candles
Ah ah ah ah ah
Shine bright a family.


giả

1791-1792, Cao Xueqin & Gao E, Dream of the Red Chamber, Ch. 27; 1962, Vietnamese translation by Vũ Bội Hoàng, Nguyễn Thọ, & Nguyễn Doãn Địch
Ngay trong đám anh chị em, ai tốt với em, thì em tốt giả, bất cứ là con nàng hầu, vợ lẽ.

Among just us brothers and sisters, whoever is kind to me, to them I'll be kind in return; anyone, whether they were a servant's or concubine's child.

Northern Vietnam form of trả (“to return, to give back”)


giải

(Northern Vietnam) Alternative form of trải (“to spread out; to lay out”)


thạch

[tʰajk̟̚˧˨ʔ]


cốc

From a Sino-Tibetan language. Compare Burmese ခွက် (hkwak), Proto-Loloish *ʔ-kokᴴ (“cup”) (Bradley) and Naxi kual (“bowl”).

[kəwk͡p̚˦˧˥]


trà

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

chén uống trà

(Southern Vietnam, Northern Vietnam) tea


súp lơ

[sup̚˧˦ ləː˧˧]

[ʂup̚˦˧˥ ləː˧˧]

[sup̚˦˧˥ ləː˧˧]

[ʂʊp̚˦˥ ləː˧˧]

[sʊp̚˦˥ ləː˧˧]


ngô

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


ấy

head

意, 衣, 𧘇, 倚, 𱍸, 𪬫, 𫢚

ấy • (意, 衣, 𧘇, 倚, 𱍸, 𪬫, 𫢚)

vi-determ

意, 衣, 𧘇, 倚, 𱍸, 𪬫, 𫢚

ấy • (意, 衣, 𧘇, 倚, 𱍸, 𪬫, 𫢚)

意 (CJK)
衣 (CJK)
𧘇 (CJK)
倚 (CJK)
𪬫 (CJK)
𫢚 (CJK)

Diachronically, this is probably a Northern Vietnamese innovation occured some time between the stages of Proto-Vietnamese and attested Northern Old Vietnamese. It is amply attested in the oldest Nôm texts (which are all in Northern Old Vietnamese or its offshoot(s)), yet has no cognate in the Muong lects, and usage of this morpheme by Central and Southern speakers clearly indicates borrowing. It also does not neatly fit into Proto-Vietnamese demonstrative paradigm with its zero-initial.
The situation can probably be hypothesized as:

nơi nào. 2 Can be used on its own

where; no longer completely true in the modern language

where; this much; where *C is nonspecific consonant

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

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


ấy

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) sentence-ending intensifying particle


ấy

(Northern Vietnam, humorous) you, my buddy/gal


xà phòng

→ Tai Dam: ꪎꪱꪡ꫁ꪮꪉ (sa-ꞌphọng) (possibly)

[saː˦˩ fɔŋ˦˩]

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


hôm

head

hôm • (歆, 𣋚, ⿰日歆)

vi-noun

hôm • (歆, 𣋚, ⿰日歆)


thầy

→ Khmer: ថី (thəy)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 師 (SV: sư). Doublet of sư. Feudal Han or Nom teachers were generally male, hence the strictly modern use for male teachers.
The written form thày used to be common in the Northern dialects, now mostly eradicated in writing, although the pronunciation itself likely still remains in less mainstream Northern dialects.

der

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

vi-etym-sino

thầy mẹ/u


thầy

(dialectal, Northern Vietnam) I/me, your father

(dialectal, Northern Vietnam) you, my father

(dialectal, Northern Vietnam) he/him, your/my father


tớ

head

tớ • (四, 伵, 佐)

vi-pronoun

tớ • (四, 伵, 佐)

Originally a noun meaning "servant".
For the semantic development, see also tôi.

(familiar, friendly, chiefly Northern Vietnam) I; me


chúng nó

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦ nɔ˧˦]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ nɔ˨˩˦]

[cʊwŋ͡m˦˥ nɔ˦˥]

chúng (pluralising particle) + nó (“he; she; it”).


địt

head

địt • (𨕀, 𨗵, 𬇓)

vi-verb

địt • (𨕀, 𨗵, 𬇓)

(Northern Vietnam, vulgar, colloquial) to fuck


địt

(Northern Vietnam, vulgar, colloquial) Shit!; Fuck!


cả

head

cả • (哿, 奇, 𪥘)

vi-adj

cả • (哿, 奇, 𪥘)

(Northern Vietnam) firstborn; eldest; oldest


ngộ

(Northern Vietnam, chiefly of dogs) mad; rabid


buồn

Possibly related to/cognate with muốn (“to want”).

(Northern Vietnam) ticklish (when stroked)


mừng tuổi

[mɨŋ˨˩ tuəj˧˩]

[mɨŋ˦˩ tuj˧˨]

[mɨŋ˨˩ tuj˨˩˦]

(Northern Vietnam) to give money in red envelopes to children or elders during Lunar New Year; to give otoshidama


địt mẹ

[ʔɗit̚˧˨ʔ mɛ˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗit̚˨˩ʔ mɛ˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗɨt̚˨˩˨ mɛ˨˩˨]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-địt mẹ.wav

địt (“to fart; to fuck”) + mẹ (“mother”)

af

Địt mẹ mày!

Thanh niên xóm tôi toàn bọn nghiện, mà làng tôi hễ nghiện thì bán đồ nhà, bán hết thì đi ăn cắp, hễ đi làm tử tế thì sẽ bị dân chê cười rằng “Địt mẹ thằng này điên, nghiện phải đi ăn cắp chứ, làm cái đéo gì cho lại?”.

2023 March 6, Tran A, “Xóm bựa : Anh Tú và môn võ đ*t [The Shithole: Brother Tú and the Art of F*cking]”, in TRUYỆN CƯỜI CÔNG SỞ [FUNNY OFFICE STORIES], page 70

My neighborhood’s full of young addicts. You know what they do, they sell their belongings, and if those run out, they steal. So if one of them got a legit job, everybody’d make fun of him, “The fuck d’ya think you are? You’re an addict, go steal shit, you can’t work for shit.”

Hồi trưa tao đi chợ, địt mẹ, tao gặp con mụ béo chém giá, địt mẹ, đứt cổ luôn!

So I went to the grocery, a little before noon, y'know, I was shit out of luck enough to meet this fat bitch that charged me, y'know, a fucking fortune!

(Northern Vietnam, vulgar) you know (expression signifying a pause or hesitation)


bật lửa

[ʔɓət̚˧˨ʔ lɨə˧˩]

[ʔɓək̚˨˩ʔ lɨə˧˨]

[ʔɓək̚˨˩˨ lɨə˨˩˦]

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

com

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) lighter


a còng

[ʔaː˧˧ kawŋ͡m˨˩]

[ʔaː˧˧ kawŋ͡m˦˩]

[ʔaː˧˧ kɔŋ˦˩]

[ʔaː˧˧ kawŋ͡m˨˩]

(computing, Northern Vietnam) at sign (@)


nhé

Tiện thể mua dùm tớ hộp sữa nhé !

While you're at it, buy some milk for me, okay?

Nhớ nhé ! Đừng có quên đó !

Commit it to your memory! Don't you forget it!

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) alright?; okay?; will you?


xem mặt

[sɛm˧˧ mat̚˧˨ʔ]

[sɛm˧˧ mak̚˨˩ʔ]

[sɛm˧˧ mak̚˨˩˨]

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


gáy

From Middle Vietnamese gấy, from Proto-Vietic *t-giːʔ; cognate with Sách təki:⁴.


vằn thắn

[vaŋ˦˩ tʰaŋ˦˧˥]

[vaŋ˨˩ tʰaŋ˦˥]

[jaŋ˨˩ tʰaŋ˦˥]

From Cantonese 雲吞／云吞 (wan4 tan1; vân thôn).


rết

con (classifier)
蝎 (CJK)
𧋍 (CJK)
𧎴 (CJK)
𧏲 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *-seːt (“centipede”). Cognate with Muong thết.
This is the Northern form that had undergone lenition but with no vowel raising before stop codas, now also the common formal written form. The other forms with vowel raised can still be seen in informal writing.


nốt ruồi

[nok̚˦˧˥ ʐuj˦˩]

(Northern Vietnam) mole; melanocytic nevus


nhọ

From Proto-Vietic *m-lɔːʔ.
The adjectival sense originated from the Northern dialects and spread southwards.

(dialectal, chiefly Northern Vietnam) soot


hộ

mang thai hộ

(Northern Vietnam) in place of someone else; in someone else's stead; for someone else


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


vịt giời

[vit̚˧˨ʔ zəːj˨˩]

[vit̚˨˩ʔ jəːj˦˩]

[vɨt̚˨˩˨ jəːj˨˩]

[jɨt̚˨˩˨ jəːj˨˩]

vịt (“duck”) + giời (“sky; celestial; heavenly”).

compound

Northern Vietnam form of vịt trời (“wigeon”)

Nhà tôi có năm con vịt giời.

Oh boy, I've got five little princesses.

(Northern Vietnam, humorous or disapproving) a daughter, whom a family may be disappointed to have because of patriarchy (that favors boys to take care of their immediate families and extended families, and to maintain their family names), or who may possess disapproved stereotypically feminine qualities such as talkativeness, whining and nagging that's likened to a duck's or goose's quacking


vẹt

con (classifier)
𩿠 (CJK)
𪀚 (CJK)
𪆧 (CJK)
𪇴 (CJK)

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, zoology) parrot


căn

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 間 (SV: gian).

der

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


cá quả

head

cá quả • (𩵜𩸄)

[kaː˨˩˦ kwaː˧˨]

[kaː˦˥ waː˨˩˦]


nhăm

Northern form with the commonly seen nasalization of lateral, compare lớn vs. nhớn, lời vs. nhời, lài vs. nhài, lạt vs. nhạt.
This sound shift originally started as nasal assimilation within the proximity of the phoneme /m/: *m(V)l > /mɲ/ > /ɲ/ (as seen even in the loanword nhài); as lăm almost occurs only after mươi, the expected shift occurred.


nghìn

Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 𪜀彦 (the first element is to be read with lateral *l-) and 彦, phonetic 彥 (MC ngjenH) (modern SV: ngạn). Compare Proto-Hlai *C-ŋin (“thousand”).
Sometimes connected to Old Chinese 千 (OC *s.n̥ˤi[ŋ]) (B-S) (SV: thiên), through some variant form. However, the attested lateral presyllable made this connection difficult. Old Mon lṅim (whence Mon လ္ၚီ), although having the lateral presyllable, also can not be readily connected to the Vietnamese word, due to the completely mismatched final nasal.

Sáng mẹ cho 5 nghìn, chiều mẹ cho 5 nghìn nữa là 10 nghìn.

Mom gave me 5000 in the morning, and then she gave me another 5000, totaling in 10,000.

(cardinal number, especially Northern Vietnam, only in compounds) thousand


ỉa

ỉa • (依, 𥺿, 𦟑)

vi-verb

ỉa • (依, 𥺿, 𦟑)

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

inh

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


đằm

(Northern Vietnam) Alternative form of đầm (“to wallow in the water or mud”)


dạo

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) time period; times


cắt tóc

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


rắm

cái (classifier)
quả (classifier)
𣱰 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *k-səmʔ (“to fart”).
Compare Proto-Khasian *ksɛm (“to fart”).

đánh rắm

(Northern Vietnam, now rarely used in isolation) a fart


ốm

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) ill; sick


đĩ

head

妓, 𡚦, 𡛜, 𡜤, 𡞖

đĩ • (妓, 𡚦, 𡛜, 𡜤, 𡞖)

vi-noun

妓, 𡚦, 𡛜, 𡜤, 𡞖

(classifier con, cái) đĩ • (妓, 𡚦, 𡛜, 𡜤, 𡞖)

con (classifier)
cái (classifier)
妓 (CJK)
𡚦 (CJK)
𡛜 (CJK)
𡜤 (CJK)
𡞖 (CJK)

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial) little girl (of a peasant family); baby girl; girlie; kiddy

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


muôi

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
枚 (CJK)

(Northern Vietnam) a ladle (deep-bowled spoon with a long, usually curved, handle)


vung

đậy vung nồi lại


tú lơ khơ

[tu˧˦ ləː˧˧ xəː˧˧]

[tʊw˨˩˦ ləː˧˧ kʰəː˧˧]

[tʊw˨˩˦ ləː˧˧ xəː˧˧]

[tʊw˦˥ ləː˧˧ kʰəː˧˧]

[tʊw˦˥ ləː˧˧ xəː˧˧]

From Mandarin 杜拉克 (dùlākè, đỗ lạp khắc), from Russian дура́к (durák).

(Northern Vietnam, dated, card games) playing cards


quan tài

[waːŋ˧˧ taːj˨˩]


tiếp

(Northern Vietnam) to graft (in agriculture)


thời

Sino-Vietnamese word from 時. Doublet of thì and giờ.
Originally a Northern innovation. As a topic marker, thời has mostly been supplanted by thì spreading from the South.

O tròn như quả trứng gà. Ô thời/thì đội mũ, ơ thời/thì mang râu.
O is rounded like a chicken egg. Ô wears a hat, ơ has a beard.

然則／然则 (ránzé) Nhiên tắc=vậy thời, donc.
然則 Nhiên tắc=if so/thus, donc.

1920, Nguyễn Can Mộng, “Bài 6”, in Nam học Hán văn khoá bản

(Northern Vietnam, dated) Alternative form of thì (topic marker)


tất

đi tất

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial) Clipping of bít tất (“sock”).


chăn

(classifier cái, chiếc, tấm) chăn • (𢅬, 𧜖)

cái (classifier)
chiếc (classifier)
tấm (classifier)
𢅬 (CJK)
𧜖 (CJK)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 氈 (SV: chiên).

der

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


thuê

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 稅 (“tax”, SV: thuế).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) to rent or to lease

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) to hire


giời

See giai for the sound change. This is the form from the inland Northern dialects.

Giời ạ!


đấy

Anh đang chờ ai đấy?

(Northern Vietnam) sentence-final particle used in questions for asking in a more polite way

Máy bay của họ hạ cánh rồi đấy.

(Northern Vietnam) sentence-final particle in statements to express affirmation


thằn lằn bóng

[tʰan˨˩ lan˨˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˦]

[tʰaŋ˦˩ laŋ˦˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˧˥]

[tʰaŋ˦˩ laŋ˦˩ ʔɓɔŋ˦˧˥]

[tʰaŋ˨˩ laŋ˨˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˥]

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


găng tay

[ɣaŋ˧˧ taj˧˧]

[ɣaŋ˧˧ taj˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) glove


tiêm

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


trứng vịt lộn

[t͡ɕɨŋ˧˦ vit̚˧˨ʔ lon˧˨ʔ]

[ʈɨŋ˦˧˥ vit̚˨˩ʔ loŋ˨˩ʔ]

[ʈɨŋ˦˥ vɨt̚˨˩˨ loŋ˨˩˨]

[ʈɨŋ˦˥ jɨt̚˨˩˨ loŋ˨˩˨]

(Northern Vietnam) egg containing a developing duck embryo


buồn cười

[ʔɓuən˨˩ kɨəj˨˩]

[ʔɓuəŋ˦˩ kɨj˦˩]

[ʔɓuəŋ˨˩ kɨj˨˩]


bỏng

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˨˩˦]

nóng bỏng

(Northern Vietnam, of people, animals or their skin) burnt; scalded


thủ

Sino-Vietnamese word from 首. Doublet of sỏ, which is an earlier borrowing.

thủ lợn

(Northern Vietnam, of pigs, as food) a head


nhầm

(Northern Vietnam) Alternative form of lầm (“to be mistaken”)


thắt lưng

vi-noun

(classifier cái, chiếc (“belt”)) thắt lưng

[tʰat̚˧˦ lɨŋ˧˧]

[tʰak̚˦˧˥ lɨŋ˧˧]

[tʰak̚˦˥ lɨŋ˧˧]

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, clothing) a belt


xì dầu

[sɪj˦˩ jəw˦˩]

[sɪj˨˩ jəw˨˩]

From Chinese 豉油 (“soy sauce”, Sino-Vietnamese thị du); compare Cantonese 豉油 (si6 jau4).


giá đỗ

[zaː˧˦ ʔɗo˦ˀ˥]

[jaː˨˩˦ ʔɗow˧˨]

[jaː˦˥ ʔɗow˨˩˦]


không có gì

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˧˦ zi˨˩]

[kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˨˩˦ jɪj˦˩]

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˨˩˦ jɪj˦˩]

[kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˦˥ jɪj˨˩]

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˦˥ jɪj˨˩]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-không có gì.wav

(Northern Vietnam) you are welcome, no problem


ví

Tôi bị mất cái ví.


nát

(Northern Vietnam) to intimidate, to cow


xe ôm

[sɛ˧˧ ʔom˧˧]

[sɛ˧˧ ʔom˧˧]

[sɛ˧˧ ʔom˧˧]

xe (“vehicle”) + ôm (“to hug; to embrace”), supposedly called so because you would hug the rider so you won't fall.

com

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, vehicles) a motorcycle taxi


ngõi

chẳng ngõi

Hết cả các thứ rồi còn ngõi gì nữa.

Everything is finished, what more do you expect?

(Northern Vietnam) to expect; pursue; to long and desire


đình

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) village shrine


cành

From Proto-Vietic *t-kɛːŋʔ ~ *t-gɛːŋʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kaŋ ~ *kaaŋ ~ *kaiŋ() ~ *kiəŋ ~ *kaik; cognate with Arem
kɑːŋˀ, Chut [Rục] təkɛːŋ³ and Sedang tơkang.
Pain (2020) thinks that the tonal disharmonies were due to emergence of two Late proto-Vietic sociolects: a lightly sinicised peripheric hinterland sociolect and a heavily sinicised urban sociolect.

(colloquial, Northern Vietnam) one thousand dongs

xị

ten thousand or one hundred thousand dongs

lít

one hundred thousand or one million dongs


bèo tây

[ʔɓɛw˨˩ təj˧˧]

[ʔɓɛw˦˩ təj˧˧]

[ʔɓɛw˨˩ təj˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) water hyacinth


nôn

head

農, 𡁛, 𡄨, 𡽫, 𧀒, 𫬣

vi-verb

農, 𡁛, 𡄨, 𡽫, 𧀒, 𫬣

農 (CJK)
𡁛 (CJK)
𡄨 (CJK)
𡽫 (CJK)
𧀒 (CJK)
𫬣 (CJK)

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

(Northern Vietnam) to throw up; to vomit


mì tôm

From mì (“noodles”) + tôm (“shrimp”), so called because early instant noodles in Northern Vietnam (manufactured by Colusa – Miliket) is packaged with shrimp patterns.

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial) instant noodles


vờ

Xác như vờ, xơ như nhộng


vừng

vi-noun

(classifier cây, hạt, hột) vừng • (𣜸, 𥣐, 𦾥, 𧁸)

cây (classifier)
hạt (classifier)
hột (classifier)
𣜸 (CJK)
𥣐 (CJK)
𦾥 (CJK)
𧁸 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *vɨŋ (“sesame”). Compare Proto-Katuic *lawɨŋ and Proto-Be *vəŋᴬ².

Vừng ơi, mở ra!


ngoẹo

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


ruốc

(classifier con (“the shrimps”)) ruốc • (𩽖)

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


hôn hít

[hoŋ˧˧ hit̚˦˧˥]

[hoŋ˧˧ hɨt̚˦˥]


cá chuối

[kaː˧˦ t͡ɕuəj˧˦]

[kaː˨˩˦ t͡ɕuj˨˩˦]

From cá (“fish”) + chuối (“banana”), literally “banana fish”, because of the shape.


mì chính

[mi˨˩ t͡ɕïŋ˧˦]

[mɪj˦˩ t͡ɕɨn˦˧˥]

[mɪj˨˩ cɨn˦˥]

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

monosodium glutamate
monosodium glutamate

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) monosodium glutamate


lợn đất

[ləːn˧˨ʔ ʔɗət̚˧˦]

[ləːŋ˨˩ʔ ʔɗək̚˦˧˥]

[ləːŋ˨˩˨ ʔɗək̚˦˥]

lợn (“pig”) + đất (“earth”), also a calque of Afrikaans aardvark

(Northern Vietnam) a porcelain piggy bank


trêu

head

𠶅, 撩, 󰄂, 󰃫, 憭, 𠰉, 嘲, 𠺕, 𡃔, 嘹

vi-verb

𠶅, 撩, 󰄂, 󰃫, 憭, 𠰉, 嘲, 𠺕, 𡃔, 嘹

𠶅 (CJK)
撩 (CJK)
憭 (CJK)
𠰉 (CJK)
嘲 (CJK)
𠺕 (CJK)
𡃔 (CJK)
嘹 (CJK)

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) to tease, to poke fun


nghịch

Sino-Vietnamese word from 逆 (“to oppose”). Doublet of ngược.

vi-etym-sino

Thằng cu con em nghịch như giặc.

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, usually of a child) to be playfully naughty


bỏ mẹ

[ʔɓɔ˧˩ mɛ˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓɔ˧˨ mɛ˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩˦ mɛ˨˩˨]

Cẩn thận không thì bỏ mẹ đó !

Từ “bỏ mẹ” ấy hoàn toàn khác ngữ cảnh một người vỗ đùi cái đét: “Thế à? Bỏ mẹ rồi”, tức sự việc đã hỏng bét, gặp nguy khốn.
The bỏ mẹ is not at all like one in the context of someone slapping their knee and going, “Thế à? Bỏ mẹ rồi,” (“Is that so? What a shit show”) which means the situation has gone south.]

[2017, Lê Minh Quốc, Lắt Léo TIếNG VIệT [Confusing VIeTNAMeSe], Nhà xuất bản Trẻ

(Northern Vietnam, vulgar) the situation in question will go to shit


bỏ mẹ

[ʔɓɔ˧˩ mɛ˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓɔ˧˨ mɛ˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩˦ mɛ˨˩˨]

ngu bỏ mẹ

- Cái số ông anh vất vả bỏ mẹ - Anh ta nói - Cả đời được mỗi một dịp đi nghỉ an dưỡng lại sốt. Tôi gọi bác sĩ nhé.

2006, Nguyễn Triệu, editor, NHÀ VĂN HIỆN ĐẠI QUẢNG NINH - tác phẩm chọn lọc [MODERN QUẢNG NINH WRITERS: select works], Nhà xuất bản Hội Nhà văn

“Talk about shitty luck,” he said, “One good vacation your entire life and you got sick on it. Should I call a doctor?”

Vậy mà ai rủ đi chơi cũng ô kê, rồi về than: “Chúng nó uống thì chúng nó say, còn mình ngồi không mệt bỏ mẹ!” Nhưng ông không từ chối một cuộc chơi nào. Cũng ham vui… bỏ mẹ!

2010, Diệu Kim, “MỌT SÁCH [BOOKWORM]”, in HOA của mỗi người [everyone’s FLOWER], page 147

Yet every time somebody asked him out, he said yes, only to whine after the fact, “They drank themselves senseless, I did nothing and it fucking sucked.” But he never said no. He was always… pretty much a player!

(Northern Vietnam, vulgar) so fucking much

Không câm mồm tao đánh bỏ mẹ mày bây giờ !

Shut your mouth or I'll beat the living shit out of you!

(Northern Vietnam, vulgar, after a verb for assault) the shit out of


mầu

(Northern Vietnam) Alternative form of màu (“colour; crops”)


giở

Doublet of trở in modern written Vietnamese.
Originally the (inland) Northern form (see giai for the sound change), now widely used in the written language. In the meaning "to turn, to change", its usage has been eclipsed by the Central-Southern form trở.
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) and 呂 (MC ljoX) (modern SV: lã).

Bà kia y nhời ấy giở về làm cơm. Ông ấy mới cầm một con dao to lội xuống ruộng dọn cỏ, chưa đến buổi trưa, đã dọn quang cả 5 mẫu ruộng. Dọn xong, nằm ngủ dưới gốc cây, tiếng ngáy như sấm.

1909, Phan Kế Bính, “Lương-hữu-Khánh”, in Nam Hải dị nhân liệt truyện

The old lady followed his words and went home to prepare a meal. He took a big machete, wading through the fields to clear all the vegetation; not even noon, he had already cleared five mẫu. Done with slashing weeds, he took a nap in the shade of a tree, his snores were thunderous.

Tiếng kêu râm ran:
- Nó chiếm sở Tài chính rồi! Nó giở mặt thực sự rồi!
Voices resounded:

1961, Nguyễn Huy Tưởng, Sống mãi với Thủ Đô

- They got the Financial building! They had really betrayed us!

Northern Vietnam form of trở (“to turn, to change”)

trở

originally Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, now widely used


giồng

Northern Vietnam form of trồng (“to plant”)


giỏ

(Northern Vietnam) Alternative form of nhỏ (“to drip”)


bố khỉ

[ʔɓo˧˦ xi˧˩]

[ʔɓow˨˩˦ kʰɪj˧˨]

[ʔɓow˨˩˦ xɪj˧˨]

[ʔɓow˦˥ kʰɪj˨˩˦]

[ʔɓow˦˥ xɪj˨˩˦]


dử

(dialectal, Northern Vietnam) rheum (eye discharge)


núc

[nʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]

béo núc

(Northern Vietnam, of an animal) plump, brawny, fat


ối

(Northern Vietnam) An expression of surprise


hoa quả

[waː˧˧ waː˨˩˦]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 花果, composed of 花 (“flower”) and 果 (“fruit”).


mũ bảo hiểm

[mu˦ˀ˥ ʔɓaːw˧˩ hiəm˧˩]

[mʊw˧˨ ʔɓaːw˧˨ hiəm˧˨]

[mʊw˨˩˦ ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ him˨˩˦]

đội mũ bảo hiểm khi đi xe mô-tô, xe gắn máy

to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle or a scooter


máy điều hoà nhiệt độ

head

máy điều hoà nhiệt độ • (𣛠調和熱度)

vi-noun

máy điều hoà nhiệt độ • (𣛠調和熱度)

[maj˧˦ ʔɗiəw˨˩ hwaː˨˩ ɲiət̚˧˨ʔ ʔɗo˧˨ʔ]

[maj˨˩˦ ʔɗiw˦˩ hwaː˦˩ ɲiək̚˨˩ʔ ʔɗow˨˩ʔ]

[ma(ː)j˦˥ ʔɗiw˨˩ waː˨˩ ɲiək̚˨˩˨ ʔɗow˨˩˨]


điều hoà

[ʔɗiəw˨˩ hwaː˨˩]

[ʔɗiw˦˩ hwaː˦˩]

[ʔɗiw˨˩ waː˨˩]

máy điều hoà nhiệt độ
máy điều hoà nhiệt độ#Vietnamese

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, informal) Short for máy điều hoà nhiệt độ (“air conditioner”).


bánh đa

[ʔɓajŋ̟˧˦ ʔɗaː˧˧]

[ʔɓɛɲ˦˧˥ ʔɗaː˧˧]

[ʔɓan˦˥ ʔɗaː˧˧]

Trịnh Tráng
en:Bánh tráng
naming taboo
vi:bánh đa

Often explained as being derived from bánh (“any sweet, salty, or savory food prepared from flour”) + đa (“banyan”), from the supposed resemblance of the rice paper to a banyan leaf.
This name was the result of a taboo-induced lexical replacement of the preexisting bánh tráng, during Lord Trịnh Tráng's rule of Northern Vietnam (1623–1654), when there was naming taboo of Tráng's name. The original term is now preserved in areas of Central and Southern Vietnam, which were not under the reign of Lord Trịnh Tráng at the time.

com

(Northern Vietnam) Vietnamese rice paper


bề bề

[ʔɓe˨˩ ʔɓe˨˩]

[ʔɓej˦˩ ʔɓej˦˩]

[ʔɓej˨˩ ʔɓej˨˩]

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 皮皮 (SV: bì bì), as in 皮皮蝦 (bì bì hà, “mantis shrimp”).

der

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


mồng

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 孟 (SV: mạnh).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Ngày mồng 2 tháng 9 năm 1945, lần đầu tiên tôi trông thấy Hồ Chủ tịch. Đó là một ngày lịch sử. Ngày hôm ấy, đứng trước rất đông quần chúng hoan hô nhiệt liệt, Hồ Chủ tịch trang nghiêm đọc bản Tuyên ngôn Độc lập của nước Việt Nam dân chủ cộng hoà.

1948, Trần Dân Tiên, Những mẩu chuyện về đời hoạt động của Hồ Chủ tịch [Anecdotes from the Life and Work of President Hồ]

On September 2, 1945, I first saw President Hồ. It was a historical day, when President Hồ, standing in front of a great crowd of happily cheering people, solemnly read the Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

(Northern Vietnam) Used in front of the ten native base numerals (một, hai, ba, bốn, năm, sáu, bảy, tám, chín, mười) to denote one of the first ten days of a month, itself optionally prefixed by ngày


buồn nôn

[ʔɓuən˨˩ non˧˧]

[ʔɓuəŋ˦˩ noŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓuəŋ˨˩ noŋ˧˧]


tào phớ

[taːw˨˩ fəː˧˦]

[taːw˦˩ fəː˨˩˦]

[taːw˨˩ fəː˦˥]

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 豆腐 (“tofu”, SV: đậu hủ). Doublet of đậu hủ, đậu phụ, and tàu hủ.


muống

From Proto-Vietic *ɓɔːŋʔ (“water spinach (Ipomoea)”); cognate with Muong bỏng. Compare also Thai บุ้ง (bûng).

inh

(Northern Vietnam) funnel (from the resemblance in shape to the plant's flower)


bâu

(Northern Vietnam) to assemble, to gather into one place


giăng

Ông giẳng ông giăng,
Xuống chơi với tôi.
Có bầu có bạn,
Có ván cơm xôi.|Hey Mister Moon,Come play with me.
We can be friends,
And I have steamed sticky rice, too!

Ðiền rất yêu giăng. Cái ấy cũng là thường, bởi óc Ðiền đẫm văn thơ. Có đọc văn thơ, mới biết giăng là một cái đẹp và quý lắm. Giăng là cái liềm vàng giữa đống sao. Giăng là cái đĩa bạc trên tấm thảm nhung da trời. Giăng tỏa mộng xuống trần gian. Giăng tuôn suối mát để những hồn khát khao ngụp lặn. Trăng, ơi trăng!

1942, Nam Cao, Giăng Sáng [The Bright Moon]

Điền loves the moon. It's nothing particular, as Điền's mind is full of poems. Having read them, he knows that the moon is beautiful and precious. The moon is a shining golden sickle among the stars. The moon is the silver plate placed on a blue tablecloth made of velvet. The moon spreads dreams down into our world. The moon pours those streams of fresh water so these desperate souls could swim in. The moon, oh the moon!

Northern Vietnam form of trăng (“the moon”)


bánh tây

chiếc (classifier)
cái (classifier)
餅西 (CJK)

[ʔɓajŋ̟˧˦ təj˧˧]

[ʔɓɛɲ˦˧˥ təj˧˧]

[ʔɓan˦˥ təj˧˧]

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

Audio (Hà Nội)

bánh (“pastry, cake, bread, dumpling, noodle, wafer, or pudding”) + tây (“Western”)

compound

Sự ăn uống cũng được sung-túc: ngày nay thì ăn cơm, lại có bánh tây và những thứ bánh ngọt làm bằng bột mỳ, toàn là những thực-phẩm rất bổ; lại nào là cá mắm khô, nước mắm Nam-kỳ và Cao-miên.

1924, Henri Cucherousset, “Cuộc trị-an của Đại-Pháp bảo-hộ [Law and order protected by the French]”, in Trần Văn Quang, transl., Xứ Bắc kỳ ngày nay [The North today], Hanoi: L'Eveil économique de l'Indochine

Food and drink was also well-to-do: today there is rice to eat, and bread and sweets made of wheat flour, all very nutritious foods; there is dried salted fish, with southern and Cambodian nước mắm.

(dated, Northern Vietnam) bread, particularly French bread such as baguettes

Rồi hàng xôi, hàng bánh cuốn nóng, hàng bánh tây chả, vân vân, cũng tụ họp nhau để lập thành cho đầy đủ một dãy quà ngon, nhiều hương vị.

1943, Thạch Lam, “Bà cụ bán xôi [The old lady selling xôi]”, in Hà Nội băm sáu phố phường [The 36 neighborhoods of Hanoi], Hanoi: Đời Nay Publishing House

And xôi stands, hot bánh cuốn stands, chả sandwich stands, etc. also came together to form a full complement of tasty delights.

Bồi bưng ra một mâm có ba dĩa bánh tây, có nước cam có nước đá đủ hết.

1957, Hồ Biểu Chánh, “Trước lạ sau quen [Strange at first but familiar later]”, in Chị Đào, Chị Lý

The waiter carried out a tray with three plates of sandwiches, complete with orange juice and ice water.

(dated, Northern Vietnam, by extension) sandwich


phỏng

(Northern Vietnam) interrogative particle: isn't it; aren't you ...


phích

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) a thermos


bít tất

[ʔɓit̚˧˦ tət̚˧˦]

[ʔɓit̚˦˧˥ tək̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓɨt̚˦˥ tək̚˦˥]

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 蔽膝 (“ancient knee covering”, SV: tế tất). The obsolete form bí tất is also attested.
The "intrusive" ‹-t› in the first syllable occurred in anticipation of the ‹t-› in tất.

der

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

vi-etym-sino

đôi bít tất

(Northern Vietnam) sock (covering for the foot)


ô mai

[ʔo˧˧ maːj˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam) salted Chinese plum; smoked plum


nhãng

head

𢥉, 講, 釀, 𫻠, 󰕖

vi-verb

𢥉, 講, 釀, 𫻠, 󰕖

(Northern Vietnam) to forget; to neglect; to be absentminded


bánh da lợn

[ʔɓajŋ̟˧˦ zaː˧˧ ləːn˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓɛɲ˦˧˥ jaː˧˧ ləːŋ˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓan˦˥ jaː˧˧ ləːŋ˨˩˨]

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

compound

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


lĩnh

(Northern Vietnam) to receive (award, pay, order, etc.); to accept


nem cuốn

[nɛm˧˧ kuəŋ˦˧˥]

[nɛm˧˧ kuəŋ˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) Vietnamese spring roll


cơm muối

[kəːm˧˧ muəj˧˦]

[kəːm˧˧ muj˨˩˦]

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

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) bless you; gesundheit


trộm vía

[t͡ɕom˧˨ʔ viə˧˦]

[ʈom˨˩ʔ viə˨˩˦]

[ʈom˨˩˨ viə˦˥]

[ʈom˨˩˨ jiə˦˥]

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

Trộm vía, cháu bé bụ bẫm quá!

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

(Northern Vietnam) used before complimenting an infant


chanh leo

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

[t͡ɕajŋ̟˧˧ lɛw˧˧]

[t͡ɕɛɲ˧˧ lɛw˧˧]


giễu

head

咬, 眇, 𠴕, 𠰉, 󱝑, 嘋, 憢, 𡅍

vi-verb

咬, 眇, 𠴕, 𠰉, 󱝑, 嘋, 憢, 𡅍

咬 (CJK)
眇 (CJK)
𠴕 (CJK)
𠰉 (CJK)
嘋 (CJK)
憢 (CJK)
𡅍 (CJK)

(Northern Vietnam) to make fun of; to mock; to joke; to banter


bọ gậy

[ʔɓɔ˧˨ʔ ɣəj˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩ʔ ɣəj˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓɔ˨˩˨ ɣəj˨˩˨]


anh cả

[ʔajŋ̟˧˧ kaː˧˩]

[ʔɛɲ˧˧ kaː˧˨]

[ʔan˧˧ kaː˨˩˦]

anh (“elder brother”) + cả (“senior, main, firstborn”).

com

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) the eldest brother


con gái rượu

[kɔn˧˧ ɣaːj˧˦ ziəw˧˨ʔ]

[kɔŋ˧˧ ɣaːj˨˩˦ ʐɨəw˨˩ʔ]

[kɔŋ˧˧ ɣaːj˦˥ ɹɨəw˨˩˨]

From con gái (“daughter”) + rượu (“alcohol”), a simile allude to alcoholism especially common among Vietnamese men of older generation.
It is also possible that this is also a phono-semantic matching between rượu and diệu (“marvellous, wonderful”), the Sino-Vietnamese reading of 妙 (miào), as the two words are homophonous in many Northern dialects.

Lại đây nào, con gái rượu của bố!

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, of a father, humorous or endearing) a beloved daughter


phải gió

[faːj˧˩ zɔ˧˦]

[faːj˧˨ jɔ˨˩˦]

[faːj˨˩˦ jɔ˦˥]

From Middle Vietnamese phải gió, from phải + gió.

Phải gió nhà anh! Giấu cái mũ đâu rồi?

You little twat! Where did you hide my hat?

(Northern Vietnam, sometimes sarcastic, optionally followed by (cái) nhà (literally “house”) and a suitable pronoun or kinship term) why you little; you son of a gun


đắt đỏ

[ʔɗat̚˧˦ ʔɗɔ˧˩]

[ʔɗak̚˦˧˥ ʔɗɔ˧˨]

[ʔɗak̚˦˥ ʔɗɔ˨˩˦]


cá diêu hồng

[kaː˧˦ ziəw˧˧ həwŋ͡m˨˩]

[kaː˨˩˦ jiw˧˧ həwŋ͡m˦˩]

[kaː˦˥ jiw˧˧ həwŋ͡m˨˩]


áo phông

[ʔaːw˧˦ fəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[ʔaːw˨˩˦ fəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[ʔaːw˦˥ fəwŋ͡m˧˧]


lưu hoàng

[lɨw˧˧ hwaːŋ˦˩]

[lɨw˧˧ waːŋ˨˩]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 硫黃, composed of 硫 (“sulphur”) and 黃 (“yellow”).

vi-etym-sino

(dated or obsolete) Northern Vietnam form of lưu huỳnh (“sulfur”)


dọc mùng

[zawk͡p̚˧˨ʔ mʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

[jawk͡p̚˨˩ʔ mʊwŋ͡m˦˩]

[jawk͡p̚˨˩˨ mʊwŋ͡m˨˩]


nhăm nhe

[ɲam˧˧ ɲɛ˧˧]

[ɲam˧˧ ɲɛ˧˧]

[ɲam˧˧ ɲɛ˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam) to lie in wait, to await an opportunity


túi bóng

[tuj˧˦ ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˦]

[tuj˨˩˦ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˧˥]

[tuj˨˩˦ ʔɓɔŋ˦˧˥]

[tuj˦˥ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˥]


hình dong

Northern Vietnam form of hình dung (“figure”)


bố nó

[ʔɓo˧˦ nɔ˧˦]

[ʔɓow˨˩˦ nɔ˨˩˦]

[ʔɓow˦˥ nɔ˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) you, our child(ren)'s dad

(Northern Vietnam) he/him, your child(ren)'s dad


bố nó

[ʔɓo˧˦ nɔ˧˦]

[ʔɓow˨˩˦ nɔ˨˩˦]

[ʔɓow˦˥ nɔ˦˥]

Sao không làm bố nó đi !

Oh for heaven's sake, just do it already!

Thằng ôn dịch đó làm hỏng bố nó rồi !

(Northern Vietnam, sentence-final) conveys annoyance or regret


mẹ nó

[mɛ˧˨ʔ nɔ˧˦]

[mɛ˨˩ʔ nɔ˨˩˦]

[mɛ˨˩˨ nɔ˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) you, our child(ren)'s mom

(Northern Vietnam) she/her, your child(ren)'s mom


tắc đường

[tak̚˧˦ ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩]

[tak̚˦˧˥ ʔɗɨəŋ˦˩]

[tak̚˦˥ ʔɗɨəŋ˨˩]

(Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam) traffic jam


bim bim

[ʔɓim˧˧ ʔɓim˧˧]

[ʔɓim˧˧ ʔɓim˧˧]

[ʔɓim˧˧ ʔɓim˧˧]


hèn gì

[hɛŋ˦˩ jɪj˦˩]

[hɛŋ˨˩ jɪj˨˩]

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


nộm

(Northern Vietnam) A salad-like Vietnamese dish


đằng ấy

[ʔɗaŋ˨˩ ʔəj˧˦]

[ʔɗaŋ˦˩ ʔəj˨˩˦]

[ʔɗaŋ˨˩ ʔəj˦˥]

đằng (“way; direction”) + ấy (“that”). Compare Japanese 彼方 (anata, “that way; you”).

Đằng ấy cứ đùa!

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, familiar or humorous) you, my pal or gal


đằng này

[ʔɗaŋ˨˩ naj˨˩]

[ʔɗaŋ˦˩ naj˦˩]

[ʔɗaŋ˨˩ na(ː)j˨˩]

(Northern Vietnam, familiar or humorous) I/me, your pal or gal


bít tất tay

[ʔɓit̚˧˦ tət̚˧˦ taj˧˧]

[ʔɓit̚˦˧˥ tək̚˦˧˥ taj˧˧]

[ʔɓɨt̚˦˥ tək̚˦˥ ta(ː)j˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam, uncommon) gloves; mittens


cầu bơ cầu bất

[kəw˨˩ ʔɓəː˧˧ kəw˨˩ ʔɓət̚˧˦]

[kəw˦˩ ʔɓəː˧˧ kəw˦˩ ʔɓək̚˦˧˥]

[kəw˨˩ ʔɓəː˧˧ kəw˨˩ ʔɓək̚˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial) derelict; vagrant; homeless


chạ

Nhiều làng quê có tục kết chạ. Làng nọ với làng kia kết nghĩa với nhau, giúp đỡ nhau trong hoạn nạn.

2024 February 20, Duy Huy, “Kết chạ - giữ một nếp xưa”, in Nhân Dân

Many villages have custom of forming coalition. Villages bonding with each other, helping each other when needed.

(Northern Vietnam) coalition (of villages)


chạn

(Northern Vietnam) a kitchen cupboard; kitchen pantry


cháo hoa

[t͡ɕaːw˧˦ hwaː˧˧]

[t͡ɕaːw˨˩˦ hwaː˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam) a type of plain or undercooked congee (rice porridge)


quần bò

[kwən˨˩ ʔɓɔ˨˩]

[kwəŋ˦˩ ʔɓɔ˦˩]

[wəŋ˨˩ ʔɓɔ˨˩]


củ chuối

[ku˧˩ t͡ɕuəj˧˦]

[kʊw˧˨ t͡ɕuj˨˩˦]

củ (“bulb, corm”) + chuối (“banana [tree]”)

compound

(slang, Northern Vietnam) cringeworthy; cringy


dạo này

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-dạo này.wav

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) recently; nowadays


lái tim

See trái tim. This form is probably from a coastal Northern dialect.

Ví bằng con được vào lái tim Đức Chúa Jêsu lần nào cho lọn [...]

1888, M. Pinabel [Cố Thủy], Sách gương phúc, Ninh Phú Đường

If only i could enter Jesus' heart fully once …

Đức chúa Jêsu truyền sự kính thờ Lái tim người.

1914, R. P. Serad [Cố Chính Trung], Sách dẫn đàng giữ đạo, 2nd edition, Kẻ Sở

Jesus spreads the worshipping of his Heart

4° Lớp ếch nhái ( Batraciens ) Có máu lạnh; lái tim có 3 ngăn; vật ấy hoá hình, lúc bé có go để thở dưới nước rồi thay go lấy phổi để thở trong khí giời; có da trơn trụi lông; thường có 4 chân; hầu hết đẻ trứng.
4° Amphibians ( Batraciens ) are ectothermic; they have three-chambered hearts and undergo metamorphosis, as when they are juvenile, they have gills to breathe underwater but lose their gills for lungs in order to breathe air; their skin is smooth and furless; they are often quadruped; most are oviparous.

1920, François Chaize [Cố Thịnh], “Phần II. Hạng vật có xương sống (Vertébrés)”, in Địa cầu vạn vật luận - Động vật (Histoire naturelle - zoologie)

(possibly obsolete) Northern Vietnam form of trái tim (“heart”)


nẩy

Northern Vietnam form of nảy (“to bounce”)


cá sộp

head

cá sộp • (𩵜𩻒)

[kaː˧˦ sop̚˧˨ʔ]

[kaː˨˩˦ ʂop̚˨˩ʔ]

[kaː˨˩˦ sop̚˨˩ʔ]

[kaː˦˥ ʂop̚˨˩˨]

[kaː˦˥ sop̚˨˩˨]


thế à

[tʰe˧˦ ʔaː˨˩]

[tʰej˨˩˦ ʔaː˦˩]

[tʰej˦˥ ʔaː˨˩]

Thế à, bây giờ cũng vẫn có cyclo máy ạ.
Really, they still have motorized pedicabs.

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial) really, truly


thế nào

Tôi nghe thiên hạ nói vậy nên tò mò muốn về VN một chuyến xem đời sống thay đổi thế nào.

I heard people say that so I was curious and wanted to return to Vietnam one time to see how life had changed.

Nếu em được nhận vào làm quản lý cho bà thì lương lậu bà trả thế nào ạ?

If I am accepted to work as a manager for you what will my salary be?

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, formal in other dialects) how; what; in what manner; in what way


à thế à

[ʔaː˨˩ tʰe˧˦ ʔaː˨˩]

[ʔaː˦˩ tʰej˨˩˦ ʔaː˦˩]

[ʔaː˨˩ tʰej˦˥ ʔaː˨˩]

À thế à? Thế thì thưa chị thường thường một cái áo dài thì họ tính bao nhiêu?

Oh really? Then how much do they usually charge for an ao dai?

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial) oh really?; is that right?


ngày kia

[ŋaj˨˩ kiə˧˧]

[ŋaj˦˩ kiə˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-ngày kia.wav

ngày (“day”) + kia.
For the semantic relationship, compare Chinese 後日／后日 (hòurì) and 後天／后天 (hòutiān). Not to be confused with hôm kia (“day before yesterday”).


nhẽ

(Northern Vietnam) reason; rationale; argument


giái

See trái for the etymology, see giai for the sound change. This is the form from the inland dialects, with the form lái presented in the coastal areas (see lái tim). Displaced by quả some time before the colonial period, probably partly due to the homophony with dái (“testicles”).
Some compounds with the Southern form trái later spread from the South and were adopted by Northern speakers.

Lý hạng ca dao 里巷歌謠
𣘃󱬖固花𣘃茄固󱤼
Cây khế có hoa, cây cà có giái.
The starfruit tree has flowers, the eggplant tree has fruits.

(obsolete) Northern Vietnam form of trái (“fruit”)


om sòm

[ʔɔm˧˧ sɔm˨˩]

[ʔɔm˧˧ ʂɔm˦˩]

[ʔɔm˧˧ sɔm˦˩]

[ʔɔm˧˧ ʂɔm˨˩]

[ʔɔm˧˧ sɔm˨˩]

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, colloquial) noisy; vociferous; uproarious


thế thì

[tʰe˧˦ tʰi˨˩]

[tʰej˨˩˦ tʰɪj˦˩]

[tʰej˦˥ tʰɪj˨˩]

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) so; then; in that case


xe khách

[sɛ˧˧ xajk̟̚˧˦]

[sɛ˧˧ kʰat̚˦˧˥]

[sɛ˧˧ xat̚˦˧˥]

[sɛ˧˧ kʰat̚˦˥]

[sɛ˧˧ xat̚˦˥]

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


thậm

Duy có cái điều đốt pháo là thậm giã-man, thậm hay sinh phiền, thậm vô-lý, thì anh em ta nên bỏ dứt hẳn đi.

1907, Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh, “Đốt pháo”, in Đại Nam Đăng Cổ Tùng Báo

However, only the firecrackers are utterly uncivilized, extremely troublesome, and so verily useless, so we should stop using them completely.

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial, dated) verily; extremely; very much so


hoa chè

[hwaː˧˧ t͡ɕɛ˨˩]

[hwaː˧˧ t͡ɕɛ˦˩]

[waː˧˧ cɛ˨˩]

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


tiên sư

[tiən˧˧ sɨ˧˧]

[tiəŋ˧˧ ʂɨ˧˧]

[tiəŋ˧˧ sɨ˧˧]

[tiəŋ˧˧ ʂɨ˧˧]

[tiəŋ˧˧ sɨ˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam, offensive) used in insults


làm bộ

[laːm˨˩ ʔɓo˧˨ʔ]

[laːm˦˩ ʔɓow˨˩ʔ]

[laːm˨˩ ʔɓow˨˩˨]

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) to feign; to pretend


bát ô-tô

[ʔɓaːt̚˧˦ ʔo˧˧ to˧˧]

[ʔɓaːk̚˦˧˥ ʔow˧˧ tow˧˧]

[ʔɓaːk̚˦˥ ʔow˧˧ tow˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam) a large bowl, "large" only in comparison to the small bát/chén/đọi in East Asia, but actually regular-sized elsewhere, usually used to contain more food than a small portion of rice for a person


vò vẽ

[vɔ˨˩ vɛ˦ˀ˥]

[vɔ˨˩ vɛ˨˩˦]

[jɔ˨˩ jɛ˨˩˦]

From vò (“wasp (obsolete)”) + vẽ, whose meaning is obscure.

Vespa affinis
Vespa affinis#Translingual

(Northern Vietnam) lesser banded hornet (Vespa affinis)


nhệch

Northern Vietnam form of lệch (“eel of the genus Pisodonophis”)


bỏng ngô

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˩ ŋo˧˧]

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˨ ŋow˧˧]

[ʔɓɔŋ˧˨ ŋow˧˧]

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˨˩˦ ŋow˧˧]


bửn

Hắn chơi bửn dữ, nỏ chơi với hắn nữa.

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

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

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

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


máy rửa bát

[maj˧˦ zɨə˧˩ ʔɓaːt̚˧˦]

[maj˨˩˦ ʐɨə˧˨ ʔɓaːk̚˦˧˥]

[ma(ː)j˦˥ ɹɨə˨˩˦ ʔɓaːk̚˦˥]


mũ len

[mu˦ˀ˥ lɛn˧˧]

[mʊw˧˨ lɛŋ˧˧]

[mʊw˨˩˦ lɛŋ˧˧]


dầy

Northern Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of dày


máy điều hoà không khí

[maj˧˦ ʔɗiəw˨˩ hwaː˨˩ xəwŋ͡m˧˧ xi˧˦]

[maj˨˩˦ ʔɗiw˦˩ hwaː˦˩ kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ kʰɪj˨˩˦]

[maj˨˩˦ ʔɗiw˦˩ hwaː˦˩ xəwŋ͡m˧˧ xɪj˨˩˦]

[ma(ː)j˦˥ ʔɗiw˨˩ waː˨˩ kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ kʰɪj˦˥]

[ma(ː)j˦˥ ʔɗiw˨˩ waː˨˩ xəwŋ͡m˧˧ xɪj˦˥]


dẫy

Northern Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of dãy


nhơ bẩn

[ɲəː˧˧ ʔɓən˧˩]

[ɲəː˧˧ ʔɓəŋ˧˨]

[ɲəː˧˧ ʔɓəŋ˨˩˦]


thi đỗ

[tʰi˧˧ ʔɗo˦ˀ˥]

[tʰɪj˧˧ ʔɗow˧˨]

[tʰɪj˧˧ ʔɗow˨˩˦]


bánh đúc

[ʔɓajŋ̟˧˦ ʔɗʊwk͡p̚˧˦]

[ʔɓɛɲ˦˧˥ ʔɗʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[ʔɓan˦˥ ʔɗʊwk͡p̚˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) Vietnamese rice cake made from either non-glutinous rice flour or corn flour. It is white in color and has a soft texture and mild flavour. It is typically garnished with savory ingredients such as ground pork, tôm chấy (grilled ground shrimp), fried onions, sesame seeds, salt, peanuts, lime juice, and soy sauce or fish sauce.


phóng lợn

[fawŋ͡m˧˦ ləːn˧˨ʔ]

[fawŋ͡m˦˧˥ ləːŋ˨˩ʔ]

[fɔŋ˦˧˥ ləːŋ˨˩ʔ]

[fawŋ͡m˦˥ ləːŋ˨˩˨]

phóng (“to launch; to throw”) + lợn (“pig”).


giồng giọt

[zəwŋ͡m˨˩ zɔt̚˧˨ʔ]

[jəwŋ͡m˦˩ jɔk̚˨˩ʔ]

[jəwŋ͡m˨˩ jɔk̚˨˩˨]

Núi cao khó ở, ở được tất phải khôn ngoan mới biết được cách trống được với gió to, rét nhớn; sông sâu mới khó vận nước đi mà giồng-giọt làm ăn, muốn vận được tất phải dùng mưu dùng mẹo khôn ngoan.

1907, Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh, “Chết vì gạo”, in Đại Nam Đăng Cổ Tùng Báo

It's hard to live on high mountains, so if someone lives there, they must be smart enough to know to deal with big winds and great colds; irrigation for growing crops is difficult when rivers are deep, so if they can do that, they must have some bright ideas.


lĩnh thổ

[lïŋ˦ˀ˥ tʰo˧˩]

[lɨn˨˩˦ tʰow˨˩˦]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 領土 (“territory”), with the Northern reading of the first character.


𠄯

(Northern Vietnam) dirty; unclean; filthy

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial) bad; mean; despicable