í
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
í means that; those.
Also spelled ấy — same word, same meaning.
Meanings of í in English
Determiner
- Northern Vietnam that; those
Particle
- Northern Vietnam sentence-ending intensifying particle ≈ đó
Pronoun
- Northern Vietnam, humorous you, my buddy/gal ≈ đằng ấy
Etymology
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.
Frequently asked questions
What does í mean in English?
í (determiner) means "that; those".
How do you pronounce í?
IPA: Hanoi [ʔi˧˦]; Saigon [ʔɪj˦˥]. Tones: í — rising tone (sắc).