mi

From Proto-Vietic *miː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *miiʔ. See also mày.

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


ben

Ai thong thả, trâu nào ben được


ba

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


ba

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

anh/chị ba

bác ba

second eldest brother/sister of one's parent

chú ba

secondborn younger brother of one's father

(Southern Vietnam, of a sibling) secondborn


人

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

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


organ

[ʔɔk̚˧˦ ɣaːn˧˧]

[ʔɔk̚˦˧˥ ɣaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɔk̚˦˥ ɣaːŋ˧˧]

(Vietnam) keyboard (device with keys of a musical keyboard)


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


hun

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

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


ha

Đẹp ghê ha ?

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


con

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

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

ncog

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

Là con thật!

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


ni

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


ni

nơi nào. 2 Can be used on its own

where; no longer completely true in the modern language

where; this much; where *C is nonspecific consonant

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

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


dam

From Proto-Vietic *k-taːm; ultimately from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kt₁aam (“crab”). ‹d› here is the result of lenition (Proto-Vietic *k-t- > Middle Vietnamese ‹d› /ð/ > Modern Vietnamese ‹d›). Compare đam, the form with unlenited initial consonant.

Dù ai béo bạo như tru,
Về đất Kẻ Ngù cũng tóm như dam
Ai mà gầy tóm như dam
Về đất nhà Chàng, cũng béo như tru
Whosoever as fat and ferocious as the buffalo,
when coming to Kẻ Ngù, they'll be as lean as the crab.
Whosoever as lean as the crab,
when coming home to Chàng, they'll be as fat as the buffalo

(North Central Vietnam) field crab; freshwater crab


ga

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

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


thánh

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

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

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

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


thánh

vị (classifier)
ông (classifier)
bà (classifier)

Kêu hai thánh đó ra dùm tui dới!

Call those two cretins out [here] for me!

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


la

bị vợ la

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


bang

Thành phố Oklahoma là thủ phủ bang Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City is the capital of the state of Oklahoma.

bang Kê-ra-la trong nước Cộng hòa Ấn Độ

the State of Kerala in the Republic of India

Thụy Sĩ có 26 bang.

(Vietnam) state (a political division of a federation)


bang

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


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


nghe

Về nhớ làm bài nghe!

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

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


chi

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

Mi mần chi rứa?

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

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

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

(Central Vietnam, literary elsewhere) what; whatever


chi

Làm vậy chi?

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) what for


té

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

(chiefly Southern Vietnam, intransitive) to trip

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


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)


đồng

→ Cantonese: 盾 (teon⁵)

→ English: dong

→ Japanese: ドン (don)

→ Korean: 동 (dong)

→ Mandarin: 盾 (dùn)

→ Russian: донг (dong)

hai đồng

(colloquial, chiefly Southern Vietnam) a thousand dongs


hai

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

anh/chị hai

bác hai

(Southern Vietnam, of a sibling) eldest; firstborn


hen

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


ló

North Central Vietnam form of lúa (“rice”)


gai

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

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”)).


beo

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

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

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


bu

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


su

nác su

North Central Vietnam form of sâu (“deep”)


bro

[ʔɓəː˨˩ zo˧˧]

[ʔɓəː˦˩ ʐow˧˧]

[ʔɓəː˨˩ ɹow˧˧]

các bro
you bros

bro ấy

Mùa dịch này làm mấy bài vui vẻ này hợp lý quá bro ơi.

2021 September 6, Koi Koi, “Bất ngờ bài 'nhạc Thái' lọt top trending cao nhưng hoá ra của ca sĩ Việt, nghe vui xả stress được khen ngợi hết lời! ["Thai" song unexpectedly shoots into the top trending list but turns out to be by Vietnamese singer; listen to relieve your stress; speechlessly recommend!]”, in Kênh 14, Hanoi: VCCorp, retrieved 2023-03-07

This pandemic season makes these joyful songs so appropriate, bro.

Trước đấy, khi được hỏi về mối quan hệ với "vợ cũ" Lương Minh Trang, Vinh Râu không ngần ngại thừa nhận: "Chúng tôi làm tri kỷ và thường xưng hô bằng bro".

2022 August 5, Ngọc Nguyễn, “Lương Minh Trang và Vinh Râu thăng hạng visual, xưng hô thân thiết”, in Thể thao & Văn hóa, Hanoi: Vietnam News Agency, archived from the original on 2023-03-08

Earlier, when asked about his relationship with his "ex" Lương Minh Trang, Vinh Râu admits, without hesitation: "We are confidants and often address each other as bro".

Giờ thì mau mau chuẩn bị lên đồ và set kèo với hội bạn để "quẩy" tung Hà Nội cùng Tóc Tiên, JustaTee, Huy DX và BNUTs thôi nào các bro ơi!

2022 December 21, Quang Vũ, “Tóc Tiên, JustaTee hẹn fan 'cháy' cùng lễ hội Noel siêu hoành tráng tại Hà Nội [Tóc Tiên, JustaTee promises fans they'll be "on fire" at a super large-scale Christmas festival in Hanoi]”, in Thể thao & Văn hóa, Hanoi: Vietnam News Agency, retrieved 2023-03-07

Now hurry up and prepare to set a bet with your friends to "hang out" in Hanoi with Tóc Tiên, JustaTee, Huy DX and BNUTs, bro!

(slang, Vietnam) bro (used to address a person (presumably) around the same age, usually male)


le

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


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.


mai

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

der

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


viết

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

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

viết chì

(Southern Vietnam) non-chalk handheld writing instrument


roi

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

Syzygium samarangense
Syzygium samarangense#Translingual

(Northern Vietnam) Syzygium samarangense (wax apple)


lai

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


lai

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


lai

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


ri

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


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”)


coi

head

瑰, 䁛, 𥋳, 𫀢, 𩲡

vi-verb

瑰, 䁛, 𥋳, 𫀢, 𩲡

coi em

coi mắt

to meet with a date via a dating service

coi ti-vi

coi phim

coi báo

Coi nè!

Coi chừng!

Mày coi chừng tao!

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


coi

vi-interjection

瑰, 䁛, 𥋳, 𫀢, 𩲡

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


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


mun

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


tía

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


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


cha

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

Thôi dẹp đi cha!


khu

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

(North Central Vietnam) buttock, ass/arse


mão

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


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).


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.


bón

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) constipated


út

head

út • (崴, 𠃝, 𧰦, 𠃷)

vi-pronoun

út • (崴, 𠃝, 𧰦, 𠃷)

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

(Southern Vietnam, familiar) you, my youngest sibling

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

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


tru

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


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


tui

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


thun

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

(dialectal, chiefly Southern Vietnam) elastic


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)


bù

(North Central Vietnam) Alternative form of bầu


bù

(Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of bọ


dù

Tai Dam: ꪏꪴ


chén

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


dí

Dí theo nó mau lên!

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to chase


lùn

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


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)


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


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)


lìn

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


màn

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

der

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


lóng

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) node, phalanx


nè

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


nè

Nó nè !

Coi nè !

Anh mày nè !

Qua đây ! Có cái này hay lắm nè !

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

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


sài

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to use; to spend


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


rào

(North Central Vietnam) small river, creek, stream


rú

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

inh

rú Hống

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


táo

vi-noun

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

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

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

vi-etym-sino

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


xí

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


xí

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


xí

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


rún

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

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

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


má

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


ráng

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to try hard


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


chao

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) fermented bean curd


ô

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

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


味精

monosodium glutamate
monosodium glutamate

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


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>


nón

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

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

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

cog

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) hat; cap; helmet


đậu phộng

[ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ fəwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ fəwŋ͡m˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗəw˨˩˨ fəwŋ͡m˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam) peanut, groundnut, earthnut


mè

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

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

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sesame


hột

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of hạt

hột vịt

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

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


đậu

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) to pass (an examination)


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.


bông

head

芃, 葻, 𥟌, 𣒾, 𣜳

vi-noun

芃, 葻, 𥟌, 𣒾, 𣜳

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

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) bloom; flower


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.


trái

head

𢁑, 𣛤, 𢁑, 𣡙, 𣡚, 𧀞

vi-noun

𢁑, 𣛤, 𢁑, 𣡙, 𣡚, 𧀞

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

ăn trái (cây)

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


trái

head

𢁑, 𣛤, 𢁑, 𣡙, 𣡚, 𧀞

trái chôm chôm

trái lựu đạn

trái núi

trái banh

trái cây

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


ảnh

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) photograph; picture


ảnh

Contraction of anh + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

vi-etym-hoi

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


hương

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

vi-etym-sino

thắp hương

to burn incense on an altar or at a grave

hương muỗi


nước tương

[nɨək̚˧˦ tɨəŋ˧˧]

[nɨək̚˦˧˥ tɨəŋ˧˧]

[nɨək̚˦˥ tɨəŋ˧˧]

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


heo

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


rẽ

(Northern Vietnam) to turn (to another path)


chỉ

Contraction of chị + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

vi-etym-hoi

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


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


cua

Borrowed from French courtiser or French cour.

(Southern Vietnam, slang) to take out a girl


sương sáo

[sɨəŋ˧˧ saːw˧˦]

[ʂɨəŋ˧˧ ʂaːw˨˩˦]

[sɨəŋ˧˧ saːw˨˩˦]

[ʂɨəŋ˧˧ ʂaːw˦˥]

[sɨəŋ˧˧ saːw˦˥]

From Teochew 仙草 (siêng1 cao2; tiên thảo).


vè

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


vè

(Southern Vietnam) to draw near or nearer

(Southern Vietnam) to come alongside (another boat)


bột ngọt

[ʔɓot̚˧˨ʔ ŋɔt̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓok̚˨˩ʔ ŋɔk̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓok̚˨˩˨ ŋɔk̚˨˩˨]


nhúm

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


dưa leo

[zɨə˧˧ lɛw˧˧]

[jɨə˧˧ lɛw˧˧]

[jɨə˧˧ lɛw˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) cucumber


xắt

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to slice


bắp

vi-noun

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

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

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


nhỏ

sắp nhỏ

tụi nhỏ

con nhỏ đó

nhỏ Hoa


nhỏ

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


cổ

Contraction of cô + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

vi-etym-hoi

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

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


đá

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


quê

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

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

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

(Southern Vietnam, by extension) very embarrassing; mortifying


chiên

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

der

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


cầu

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


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.


gỏi cuốn

[ɣɔj˧˩ kuən˧˦]

[ɣɔj˧˨ kuəŋ˦˧˥]

[ɣɔj˨˩˦ kuəŋ˦˥]

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


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


lúa

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

cog

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) paddy; unhusked rice


nêm

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


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


mãng cầu

[maːŋ˦ˀ˥ kəw˨˩]

[maːŋ˧˨ kəw˦˩]

[maːŋ˨˩˦ kəw˨˩]


chả lụa

[t͡ɕaː˧˩ luə˧˨ʔ]

[t͡ɕaː˧˨ luə˨˩ʔ]

[caː˨˩˦ luə˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam) Vietnamese pork sausage


giò lụa

[zɔ˨˩ luə˧˨ʔ]

[jɔ˦˩ luə˨˩ʔ]

[jɔ˨˩ luə˨˩˨]

(Northern Vietnam) Vietnamese pork sausage


banh

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


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>


tóm

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


vén

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


trước

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

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

梅 Mai. c. (Mơ) Hai thứ cây lớn, thứ có bông thơm, thứ có trái chua. ― trước. Cây mai, cây trước, nghĩa mượn là bậu bạn, vợ chồng.
梅 Mai. c. (Mơ) Two species of big trees, one has fragrant flowers, the other has sour fruits. ― trước. Ochnas and bamboos, signify friendship or conjugality.

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

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


bữa

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

Bữa nay đi đâu đây bay?


lộn

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

(Southern Vietnam) to mix up; to confuse

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


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


nốc

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

inh

[nəwk͡p̚˦˧˥]


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

chú tư

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

anh tư

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

chị tư

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

(Southern Vietnam, of a sibling) third-born


ngựa

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

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

From Proto-Vietic *m-ŋəːʔ. See also Chinese 午 (wǔ, “horse”)


ngựa

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

Why must be such an appearance-obsessed girl? All this money you spend on clothing and cosmetics.

(figurative, chiefly Southern Vietnam, derogatory) obsessed with dolling yourself up


mân

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


nem rán

[nɛm˧˧ ʐaːŋ˦˧˥]

[nɛm˧˧ ɹaːŋ˦˥]

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


chả giò

[t͡ɕaː˧˩ zɔ˨˩]

[t͡ɕaː˧˨ jɔ˦˩]

[caː˨˩˦ jɔ˨˩]

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


béo

→ Tày: bẻo


thằn lằn

[tʰaŋ˦˩ laŋ˦˩]

[tʰaŋ˨˩ laŋ˨˩]

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


ả

(Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, derogatory) villainess


ẻ

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

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


cắn

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


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.


răng

Răng mà mi mần được hay rứa?


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


thối

Sino-Vietnamese word from 退. Compare thoái.

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

lúc tiến lúc thối

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to retreat

1926: Exodus 21:2 (translated by Phan Khôi)

If you purchase a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years, but in the seventh year he is to be released without needing to repay him.

Nếu ngươi mua một người đầy tớ Hê-bơ-rơ, nó sẽ hầu việc cho sáu năm; nhưng qua năm thứ bảy nó sẽ được thả ra, không phải thối tiền.

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

thối tiền cho khách

Không có tiền lẻ để thối lại.

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


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...


thương

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

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

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

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

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


khổ qua

[kʰow˨˩˦ waː˧˧]

khổ qua nhồi thịt

(Southern Vietnam) bitter melon; bitter gourd


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˨˩˨]


bạn

Bạn cho mình hỏi Quận 1 đi đường nào.

Could you show me the way to District 1?

(especially Southern Vietnam) you, a peer of mine


bị

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


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

head

dạ • (㖡, 也, 唯, 啫)

vi-particle

dạ • (㖡, 也, 唯, 啫)

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

giạ (northern Vietnam, southern Vietnam)

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) yes (answers a question)


dạ

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

vâng

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

ờ

(Northern Vietnam, dialectal) say again?


gương

vi-noun

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

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

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

der

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


sói

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Synonym of hói


tê

Tui muốn cái tê.


thông

Northeastern Vietnam form of sông (“river”)


hư

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


dục

[zʊwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ]

[jʊwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ]

[jʊwk͡p̚˨˩˨]

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


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)


tắc

tắc muối ớt

trà tắc


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


bóp

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


nghiền

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


chắc

Tụi bay cứ đánh chắc đập chắc hoài!

(Central Vietnam) each other, one another


tô

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) bowl


bắp rang

[ʔɓap̚˧˦ zaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓap̚˦˧˥ ʐaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓap̚˦˥ ɹaːŋ˧˧]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) popcorn


mận

vi-noun

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

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

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

(Southern Vietnam) wax apple (Syzygium samarangense)


điêu

Người đâu mà điêu ngoa !

Đừng có điêu ! Không đời nào mày làm nổi !

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


hớt

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

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


chích

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

(Southern Vietnam, of an insect) to sting


mắc

head

縸, 黓, 默, 𢹇, 𦄿, 𫄓, 󰄏, 󱓇, 󱕗

vi-verb

縸, 黓, 默, 𢹇, 𦄿, 𫄓, 󰄏, 󱓇, 󱕗

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

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

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

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

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

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

mắc ói

mắc cười

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

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


mắc

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) expensive; dear


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


bổ

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

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


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.
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.

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


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.


chả

Contraction of cha (“dude”) + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

vi-etym-hoi

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

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


biểu

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

Ê cu lại đây biểu!

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

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


quất

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

vi-etym-sino

(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”).


cọp

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


hùm

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

– 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!…

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

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!

Panthera tigris
Panthera tigris#Translingual

(Central Vietnam or literary) tiger (Panthera tigris)


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.


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).


chạc

[t͡ɕaːk̚˧˨ʔ]

[t͡ɕaːk̚˨˩ʔ]

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


nhài

vi-noun

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

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)


mướn

head

mướn • (𠼦, 摱)

vi-verb

mướn • (𠼦, 摱)

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

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


vớ

mang vớ

đi vớ

(by extension, Southern Vietnam) stocking


về

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

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

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


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


ngãi

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

vi-etym-sino

󰒂它結󰒂情渚訴情

19th century, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Tale of Lục Vân Tiên, line 1212

Our bond of rectitude is just freshly bound; our [mutual] affection is not even manifested yet.

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

nghĩa

originally Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam, now widespread


ngó

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


lịch

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

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


lịch

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


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.


lầu

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

lầu 1

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

nhà lầu

nhảy lầu tự tử

to jump off a high floor to kill oneself

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


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]


đùng

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


đồ

head

圖, 龱, 徒, 途, 塗, 𣘊

đồ • (圖, 龱, 徒, 途, 塗, 𣘊)

vi-noun

圖, 龱, 徒, 途, 塗, 𣘊

đồ • (圖, 龱, 徒, 途, 塗, 𣘊)

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

cái/đồ đánh trứng

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

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


cốc

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

[kəwk͡p̚˦˧˥]


kính

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

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

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


rầy

(North Central Vietnam) ashamed, embarrassed


trà

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

chén uống trà

(Southern Vietnam, Northern Vietnam) tea


hơ

Hơ? Mi mần chi rứa?


áp

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

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

áp chót

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


súp lơ

[sup̚˧˦ ləː˧˧]

[ʂup̚˦˧˥ ləː˧˧]

[sup̚˦˧˥ ləː˧˧]

[ʂʊp̚˦˥ ləː˧˧]

[sʊp̚˦˥ ləː˧˧]


tám

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

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


dĩa

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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

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


liên bang

[liən˧˧ ʔɓaːŋ˧˧]

[liəŋ˧˧ ʔɓaːŋ˧˧]

[liəŋ˧˧ ʔɓaːŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 聯邦, composed of 聯 (“unified; united”) and 邦 (“state”).


ủi

head

ủi • (熨, 墛, 埣)

vi-verb

ủi • (熨, 墛, 埣)

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


ngô

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


hột xoàn

[hok̚˨˩ʔ swaːŋ˦˩]

[hok̚˨˩˨ s⁽ʷ⁾aːŋ˨˩]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) diamond (gemstone)


thơ

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


dã man

[zaː˦ˀ˥ maːn˧˧]

[jaː˧˨ maːŋ˧˧]

[jaː˨˩˦ maːŋ˧˧]

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

Cái thằng này sao mà ngu dã man!

Phim hay dã man!

(informal, Southern Vietnam) totally, extremely


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


ấy

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) sentence-ending intensifying particle


ấy

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


ác

From Proto-Vietic *ʔaːk (“crow”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kʔaak ~ *kʔaik (“crow; to caw”). Compare ác là.

inh

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

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


bệnh

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sick; ill


xui

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) unlucky


xà phòng

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

[saː˦˩ fɔŋ˦˩]

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


xà bông

[saː˨˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[saː˦˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[saː˨˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

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

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) laundry detergent; washing powder


đá gà

[ʔɗaː˧˦ ɣaː˨˩]

[ʔɗaː˨˩˦ ɣaː˦˩]

[ʔɗaː˦˥ ɣaː˨˩]


sanh

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


hôm

head

hôm • (歆, 𣋚, ⿰日歆)

vi-noun

hôm • (歆, 𣋚, ⿰日歆)


thau

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


ngoại

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

Ngoại ơi! Con đến rồi nè!

Ngoại ơi! Con chích rồi nhé!

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

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


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


lọt

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

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

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

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


bén

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sharp


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


xíu

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


cố

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) great-grandparent


chúng nó

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦ nɔ˧˦]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ nɔ˨˩˦]

[cʊwŋ͡m˦˥ nɔ˦˥]

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


đụ

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, vulgar) to fuck


địt

head

địt • (𨕀, 𨗵, 𬇓)

vi-verb

địt • (𨕀, 𨗵, 𬇓)

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, informal) to fart

(Northern Vietnam, vulgar, colloquial) to fuck


địt

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


đẳng

Contraction of đằng + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

vi-etym-hoi

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


cả

head

cả • (哿, 奇, 𪥘)

vi-adj

cả • (哿, 奇, 𪥘)

(Northern Vietnam) firstborn; eldest; oldest


ngộ

kể cũng ngộ

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) sillily cute


ngộ

(Northern Vietnam, chiefly of dogs) mad; rabid


cậu

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


quẹo

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


vô

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

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

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

(chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) to toast

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

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


vô

Uống cho lắm vô! Giờ đau đầu!

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

Mại vô!

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


mô

Mi đi mô về rứa?

Chơ đi mô rồi cũng nhớ về Hà Tĩnh.
Wherever I go, I always miss my hometown Hà Tĩnh.


mô

Hắn có biết mô.

Tau có ăn mô mà biết.

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


chánh thức

[t͡ɕajŋ̟˧˦ tʰɨk̚˧˦]

[t͡ɕɛɲ˦˧˥ tʰɨk̚˦˧˥]

[can˦˥ tʰɨk̚˦˥]

(possibly dated) Southern Vietnam form of chính thức


chánh

chánh nghĩa

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


nội

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

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

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

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) a paternal grandparent


buồn

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

(Northern Vietnam) ticklish (when stroked)


dữ

Thằng này sao mà ngu dữ!

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


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


lì xì

[lɪj˦˩ sɪj˦˩]

[lɪj˨˩ sɪj˨˩]

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

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


muỗng

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

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) spoon


tàu hủ

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

(Southern Vietnam) douhua; tofu pudding; soybean pudding


cúp

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

electrical engineering
electrical engineering

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


đầm

(Southern Vietnam) dress (women's garment)


đụ má

[ʔɗu˧˨ʔ maː˧˦]

[ʔɗʊw˨˩ʔ maː˨˩˦]

[ʔɗʊw˨˩˨ maː˦˥]

Đụ má mày!

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

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


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)


đậu hủ

[ʔɗəw˧˨ʔ hu˧˩]

[ʔɗəw˨˩ʔ hʊw˧˨]

[ʔɗəw˨˩˨ hʊw˨˩˦]

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


mợ

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

(dialectal, Central Vietnam) mother; mom


xế

head

xế • (熾, 𪰮, 制)

vi-noun

xế • (熾, 𪰮, 制)

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

bữa xế

a light meal or a snack during this time

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


xế

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, slang) wheeled vehicle


bật lửa

[ʔɓət̚˧˨ʔ lɨə˧˩]

[ʔɓək̚˨˩ʔ lɨə˧˨]

[ʔɓək̚˨˩˨ lɨə˨˩˦]

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

com

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) lighter


mét

(North Central Vietnam) a kind of bamboo


mốt

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

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


xe hơi

[sɛ˧˧ həːj˧˧]

[sɛ˧˧ həːj˧˧]

[sɛ˧˧ həːj˧˧]

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

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


cà rem

[kaː˨˩ ɹɛm˧˧]

[kaː˨˩ zɛm˧˧]

[kaː˦˩ ɹɛm˧˧]

[kaː˨˩ ɹɛm˧˧]

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


can chi

[kaːn˧˧ t͡ɕi˧˧]

[kaːŋ˧˧ t͡ɕɪj˧˧]

[kaːŋ˧˧ cɪj˧˧]

can (“related, bothering”) + chi (central Vietnamese version of gì).

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


a móc

[ʔaː˧˧ mawk͡p̚˧˦]

[ʔaː˧˧ mawk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[ʔaː˧˧ mawk͡p̚˦˥]

(computing, Southern Vietnam) at sign (@)


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


coi mắt

[kɔj˧˧ mak̚˦˧˥]

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


tông

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


gáy

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


giá

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


xe đò

[sɛ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˨˩]

[sɛ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˦˩]

[sɛ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˨˩]

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


vằn thắn

[vaŋ˦˩ tʰaŋ˦˧˥]

[vaŋ˨˩ tʰaŋ˦˥]

[jaŋ˨˩ tʰaŋ˦˥]

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


hoành thánh

[hwajŋ̟˨˩ tʰajŋ̟˧˦]

[hwɛɲ˦˩ tʰɛɲ˦˧˥]

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

der

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) wonton


ôông

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


ôông

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

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

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

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

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


trượng

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


thúi

có mùi thúi

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of thối


đương

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

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


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


ngài

From Proto-Vietic *ŋaːj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *[m]ŋaaj (“human being; person”). Cognate with Muong ngài.


mạ

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


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


ổng

Contraction of ông + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

vi-etym-hoi

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

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

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


bả

Contraction of bà + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

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


nút

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


trỏng

[t͡ɕawŋ͡m˧˩]

Contraction of trong (“inside”) + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

Hang tối om à, đừng có vô trỏng!

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

(Southern Vietnam) in there; inside that place


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


gấy

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

cấy

in North Central dialects less affected by lenition

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


cấy

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

North Central Vietnam form of cái (“female”)


khái

From Proto-Vietic *k-haːlʔ / *kʰaːlʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *klaʔ. Cognate with whence Khmer ខ្លា (khlaa), Bahnar kla, Khasi khla, Mon ကၠ. Doublet of hổ.
Compare also Khmer ខាល (khaal, “Year of the Tiger”), which was a Vietic loan.

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


vẹt

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

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, zoology) parrot


trốc

head

祿, 築, 𫠼, 𩠸, 𬳕

vi-noun

祿, 築, 𫠼, 𩠸, 𬳕

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

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

[t͡ɕəwk͡p̚˧˦]

[ʈəwk͡p̚˦˧˥]


căn

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

der

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


nỏ

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


tủ

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


môi

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


cá quả

head

cá quả • (𩵜𩸄)

[kaː˨˩˦ kwaː˧˨]

[kaː˦˥ waː˨˩˦]


bao tử

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ tɨ˧˩]

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ tɨ˧˨]

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]

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

vi-etym-sino

Ăn chậm nhai kĩ kẻo đau bao tử.

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

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

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

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

(anatomy, Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) stomach


trễ

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) late; tardy


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


đó

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

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

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

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

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

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


ỉa

head

ỉa • (依, 𥺿, 𦟑)

vi-verb

ỉa • (依, 𥺿, 𦟑)

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

inh

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


đằm

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


đằm

(Central Vietnam) correct; right; on the mark


hột vịt lộn

[hot̚˧˨ʔ vit̚˧˨ʔ lon˧˨ʔ]

[hok̚˨˩ʔ vit̚˨˩ʔ loŋ˨˩ʔ]

[hok̚˨˩˨ vɨt̚˨˩˨ loŋ˨˩˨]

[hok̚˨˩˨ jɨt̚˨˩˨ loŋ˨˩˨]

(Southern Vietnam) an egg containing a developing duck embryo

hột vịt lộn xào me

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


từng

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


hoài

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

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

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

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


dạo

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) time period; times


vòng tay

[vɔŋ˦˩ taj˧˧]

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


bận

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


hớt tóc

[həːt̚˧˦ tawk͡p̚˧˦]

[həːk̚˦˧˥ tawk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[həːk̚˦˥ tawk͡p̚˦˥]

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


hớt tóc

[həːt̚˧˦ tawk͡p̚˧˦]

[həːk̚˦˧˥ tawk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[həːk̚˦˥ tawk͡p̚˦˥]


cắt tóc

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


lẻ

head

lẻ • (礼, 禮, 𥛭)

vi-adj

lẻ • (礼, 禮, 𥛭)

một trăm lẻ ba

hai ngàn không trăm lẻ một

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


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


ót

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, anatomy) nape


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.


cồn

(North Central Vietnam) graveyard; cemetery


muôi

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

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


rày

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

từ rày về sau

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

nơi nào. 2 Can be used on its own

where; no longer completely true in the modern language

where; this much; where *C is nonspecific consonant


dòm

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

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

nhòm

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) to look at


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


hiền

Sino-Vietnamese word from 賢 (“wise; virtuous”). According to Nguyễn Quốc Hùng's Hán Việt tân từ điển (“New Sino-Vietnamese Dictionary”):
Rất tài giỏi — Có tài năng và đức độ — Tốt đẹp — Không phải là hiền lành theo nghĩa Việt Nam
Excellent - Highly talented and virtuous - Glorious - Not like hiền lành (“mild-mannered”) in Vietnamese usage
The semantic bleaching from "wise/virtuous" to "mild" probably comes from expressions relating to wifehood and motherhood, such as Chinese 賢母／贤母 (“wise mother”) > Vietnamese mẹ hiền (“kind mother”). Compare phrases such as Chinese 賢妻良母／贤妻良母 (hiền thê lương mẫu, “a wise wife and a good mother”) and Japanese 良妻賢母 (ryōsai kenbo, lương thê hiền mẫu, “a good wife and a wise mother”). This term has compounded with other words and morphemes which did not suffer this kind of semantic bleaching, such as Chinese 慈 (từ) in hiền từ.

quote

Excellent - Highly talented and virtuous - Glorious - Not like <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">hiền lành</i> (“mild-mannered”) in Vietnamese usage

ncog

(Southern Vietnam) innocuous; harmless; nutritious

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

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

(Southern Vietnam, euphemistic) ingenuous to a fault


mấn

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


quan tài

[waːŋ˧˧ taːj˨˩]


thẩy

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


thẩy

Contraction of thầy + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

vi-etym-hoi

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


chánh đảng

[t͡ɕajŋ̟˧˦ ʔɗaːŋ˧˩]

[t͡ɕɛɲ˦˧˥ ʔɗaːŋ˧˨]

[can˦˥ ʔɗaːŋ˨˩˦]

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


xe lửa

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

[sɛ˧˧ lɨə˧˩]

[sɛ˧˧ lɨə˧˨]

[sɛ˧˧ lɨə˨˩˦]

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


máy rửa chén

[maj˧˦ zɨə˧˩ t͡ɕɛn˧˦]

[maj˨˩˦ ʐɨə˧˨ t͡ɕɛŋ˦˧˥]

[ma(ː)j˦˥ ɹɨə˨˩˦ cɛŋ˦˥]

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) dishwasher (machine)


cẳng

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

(chiefly Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, colloquial) leg


mập

(Southern Vietnam) fat, obese, stout, plump


gởi

gởi đơn xin ân xá

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


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)


cưng

Cho chị xin 2000 đi cưng.

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

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

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


tất

đi tất

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


chăn

vi-noun

(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>


tới bến

[təːj˧˦ ʔɓen˧˦]

[təːj˨˩˦ ʔɓen˦˧˥]

[təːj˦˥ ʔɓəːn˦˥]

Bữa nay ta nhậu tới bến luôn!

We're gonna party the crap outta it tonight!

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

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


bạc hà

[ʔɓaːk̚˧˨ʔ haː˨˩]

[ʔɓaːk̚˨˩ʔ haː˦˩]

[ʔɓaːk̚˨˩˨ haː˨˩]


kẹc

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


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


thiệt

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

Bữa nay gió ghê thiệt.

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


dzô

(Southern Vietnam, phonetic spelling) Alternative spelling of vô


dô

(Southern Vietnam) Pronunciation spelling of vô.


công bình

[kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓïŋ˨˩]

[kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓɨn˦˩]

[kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓɨn˨˩]

công bình chính/chánh nghĩa

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


trơn

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

hết trơn

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


trển

Contraction of trên (“on”) + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

vi-etym-hoi

Ở trên trển.


mửa

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

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


thằn lằn bóng

[tʰan˨˩ lan˨˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˦]

[tʰaŋ˦˩ laŋ˦˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˧˥]

[tʰaŋ˦˩ laŋ˦˩ ʔɓɔŋ˦˧˥]

[tʰaŋ˨˩ laŋ˨˩ ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˥]

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


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.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) skink


găng tay

[ɣaŋ˧˧ taj˧˧]

[ɣaŋ˧˧ taj˧˧]

(Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam) glove


tiêm

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


đỡ

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

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


hả

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


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


xạo

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

der

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


buồn cười

[ʔɓuən˨˩ kɨəj˨˩]

[ʔɓuəŋ˦˩ kɨj˦˩]

[ʔɓuəŋ˨˩ kɨj˨˩]


mắc cười

[mak̚˧˦ kɨəj˨˩]

[mak̚˦˧˥ kɨj˦˩]

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

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


bao tay

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ taj˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ taj˧˧]

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


hên

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

bor

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


bỏng

[ʔɓawŋ͡m˨˩˦]

nóng bỏng

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


con nít

[kɔŋ˧˧ nit̚˦˧˥]

[kɔŋ˧˧ nɨt̚˦˥]

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

com

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) small child, kid


xài

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

cog

(Southern Vietnam, informal, colloquial) to use

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


nhóc

[ɲawk͡p̚˦˧˥]

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) full of; filled with


lẹ

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Lẹ lên!


mủ

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

inh

ghế mủ

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) sap; latex


thủ

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

thủ lợn

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


nhột

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


nhầm

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


nha

Bye nha!

Đi đường nhớ cẩn thận nha.

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


ngái

From Proto-Vietic *s-ŋaːjʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *(c)ŋajʔ; cognate with Chut [Rục] ciŋaːj³, Thavung səŋə̀aj⁴, Khmer ឆ្ងាយ (chngaay) and Halang hơ'ngai.


mần

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

Mần chi rứa?

(Central Vietnam, humorous elsewhere) to do, to work


nở

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


thắt lưng

vi-noun

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

[tʰat̚˧˦ lɨŋ˧˧]

[tʰak̚˦˧˥ lɨŋ˧˧]

[tʰak̚˦˥ lɨŋ˧˧]

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, clothing) a belt


hông

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


mùng

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

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) mosquito net


mùng

ngày mùng một Tết

Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of mồng


nãy

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(often Southern Vietnam) then, at that time


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 chi

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˧˦ t͡ɕi˧˧]

[kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˨˩˦ t͡ɕɪj˧˧]

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˨˩˦ t͡ɕɪj˧˧]

[kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˦˥ cɪj˧˧]

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ kɔ˦˥ cɪj˧˧]

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


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


trùn

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

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

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


côốc

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


rớt

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


máy lạnh

[maj˨˩˦ lɛɲ˨˩ʔ]

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) an air conditioner


thăm

head

𠶀, 探, 深, 𠽄, 𠽉, 𡂹, 㖭

vi-verb

𠶀, 探, 深, 𠽄, 𠽉, 𡂹, 㖭

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

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(Southern Vietnam) to (clinically) examine


thăm

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

der

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


ví

Tôi bị mất cái ví.


mụ

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

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Mụ cào ló trửa cươi.

Grandma is raking the rice-seeds in the yard.


đục

[ʔɗʊwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɗʊwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɗʊwk͡p̚˨˩˨]

đục phù mỏ

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

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