ao
Hanoi [ʔaːw˧˧]Huế [ʔaːw˧˧]Saigon [ʔaːw˧˧] browser voice
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
ao means pond.
Classifier: cái — e.g. một cái ao (one pond)
Meanings of ao in English
Noun
- pond
Verb
- to measure roughly, to measure approximately
Words with ao
Example sentences with ao
- Một giọt máu đào hơn ao nước lã. Blood is thicker than water.
- Ao này có cá không? Are there fish in this pond?
- Hồi nhỏ, tôi rất hay bơi ở cái ao đó. As a boy, I used to swim in the pond.
- Hồi còn nhỏ, tôi hay bơi ở cái ao đó. As a boy, I used to swim in the pond.
- Ao này không bị cạn ngay cả trong mùa hè. This pond doesn't go dry even in the summer.
- Ta về ta tắm ao ta, dù trong dù đục ao nhà vẫn hơn. There is no place like home.
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, ao could be written as 㘭, 坳, 泑, 𪵲. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Etymology
Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 澳 (“bay, inlet”, SV: áo). Compare Thai อ่าว (àao), Khmer អាវ (ʼaaw).
Frequently asked questions
What does ao mean in English?
ao (noun) means "pond".
How do you pronounce ao?
IPA: Hanoi [ʔaːw˧˧]; Saigon [ʔaːw˧˧]. Tones: ao — level tone (ngang).
What classifier is used with ao?
Common classifiers: cái — for example "một cái ao" (one pond).