TuDien.NgonNguViet.comVietnamese ⇄ English dictionary

ơi

Level ≈A2 (approx.) particle Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [ʔəːj˧˧]Huế [ʔəːj˧˧]Saigon [ʔəːj˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
ơilevelngang

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

ơi means hey (calling someone).

Meanings of ơi in English

Particle

  1. vocative particle; oh, hey
    • Chú gì ơi!Hey, Uncle!
    • Anh gì ơi! Anh mua giùm em một vé đi ạ.Hey, Big Brother! Please buy a [lottery] ticket for me!
    • Mẹ ơi! Cơm chín chưa ạ?Hey Mom! Is the rice ready?

Words with ơi

trời ơi

Example sentences with ơi

  • Mẹ ơi mẹ, Mary đang đánh con! Mom, Mary's hitting me!
  • Taro ơi, cơm tối xong rồi đấy! Taro, dinner's ready!
  • Tom ơi, bạn đang ở đâu? Tom, where are you?
  • Mẹ ơi, Mary đang đánh con! Mom, Mary's hitting me!
  • Cưng ơi, mấy giờ rồi? Darling, what time is it?
  • Chill bạn ơi! Chill out!
  • Bố ơi cứu con! Con không muốn chết! Con không muốn chết! Father, save me! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!
  • Bố ơi, cứu con với! Con không muốn chết! Con không muốn chết! Father, save me! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!

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, ơi could be written as 㗒, 意, 𠲖, 喂. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Of imitative origin.

Frequently asked questions

What does ơi mean in English?

ơi (particle) means "hey (calling someone)".

How do you pronounce ơi?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔəːj˧˧]; Saigon [ʔəːj˧˧]. Tones: ơi — 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.