ích kỷ

Level ≈B2 (approx.) adjective Top 3,000 most common

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Syllables · tones

íchrisingsắc kỷdippinghỏi

Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →

ích kỷ means selfish.

Also spelled ích kỉ — same word, same meaning.

Meanings of ích kỷ in English

Adjective

selfish

Example sentences with ích kỷ

Tôi không có ý định ích kỷ đâu. I don't intend to be selfish.
Có lẽ bạn nói đúng, tôi đã quá ích kỷ. Perhaps you are right, I have been selfish.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 益 (“benefit”) and 己 (“self”).

Frequently asked questions

What does ích kỷ mean in English?

ích kỷ (adjective) means "selfish".

How do you pronounce ích kỷ?

Tones: ích — rising tone (sắc), kỷ — dipping tone (hỏi).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited; example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Levels are approximate, estimated from word frequency. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.