đành

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

Hanoi [ʔɗajŋ̟˨˩]Huế [ʔɗɛɲ˦˩]Saigon [ʔɗan˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

đànhfallinghuyền

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

đành means to resign oneself to; to have no choice but; to acquiesce.

Meanings of đành in English

Verb

to resign oneself to; to have no choice but; to acquiesce

Words with đành

đã đành đành hanh đành rằng

Example sentences with đành

Vì cơn bão nên chúng tôi đành phải ở nhà. We were compelled to stay at home on account of the storm.
Anh ta đành cam chịu một buổi tối chán nản. He resigned himself to spending a boring evening.

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

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, đành could be written as 𠷥, 𢝜, 忊, 仃. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Frequently asked questions

What does đành mean in English?

đành (verb) means "to resign oneself to; to have no choice but; to acquiesce".

How do you pronounce đành?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɗajŋ̟˨˩]; Saigon [ʔɗan˨˩]. Tones: đành — falling tone (huyền).

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.