ăn chay

Level ≈B1 (approx.) verb Top 3,000 most common

Hanoi [ʔan˧˧ t͡ɕaj˧˧]Huế [ʔaŋ˧˧ t͡ɕaj˧˧]Saigon [ʔaŋ˧˧ ca(ː)j˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

ănlevelngang chaylevelngang

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

ăn chay means to practice vegetarianism; to be a vegetarian.

Meanings of ăn chay in English

Verb

to practice vegetarianism; to be a vegetarian
to abstain from meat and the five pungent spices for religious reasons

Synonyms and antonyms of ăn chay

Antonyms

ăn mặn

Example sentences with ăn chay

Tom còn là một người ăn chay. Tom is also a vegetarian.
Tụi nó là những người ăn chay. They are vegetarians.
Bạn có ăn chay không? Are you vegan?
Tom ăn chay. Tom is vegan.

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

Etymology

From ăn (“to eat”) + chay (“vegetarian; fasting”). The second element is from Chinese 齋 /斋 (zhāi, “fasting; abstinence”).

Frequently asked questions

What does ăn chay mean in English?

ăn chay (verb) means "to practice vegetarianism; to be a vegetarian".

How do you pronounce ăn chay?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔan˧˧ t͡ɕaj˧˧]; Saigon [ʔaŋ˧˧ ca(ː)j˧˧]. Tones: ăn — level tone (ngang), chay — level tone (ngang).

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.