ưu

Level ≈B2 (approx.) adjective Sino-Vietnamese Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [ʔiw˧˧]Huế [ʔɨw˧˧]Saigon [ʔɨw˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

ưulevelngang

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

ưu means optimal; superior.

Chinese characters: 優

Meanings of ưu in English

Adjective

optimal, superior
historical, in civil service examination grading excellent

Adjective

sorrowful

Words with ưu

tối ưu ưu ái ưu đãi ưu điểm ưu thế ưu tiên ưu trương ưu tú ưu việt ưu phiền ưu sầu ưu tư ưu sinh ưu thán

Example sentences with ưu

Phương pháp này có ưu và nhược điểm. This method has pros and cons.

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

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 優.

Frequently asked questions

What does ưu mean in English?

ưu (adjective) means "optimal; superior".

How do you pronounce ưu?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔiw˧˧]; Saigon [ʔɨw˧˧]. Tones: ưu — level tone (ngang).

Is ưu a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. ưu is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 優.

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.