bù

verbnounprefix

Hanoi [ʔɓu˨˩]Huế [ʔɓʊw˦˩]Saigon [ʔɓʊw˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

bùfallinghuyền

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

bù means to compensate; to make up.

Meanings of bù in English

Verb

to compensate; to make up
to form into a straight line

Noun

Central Vietnam, Northern Vietnam alternative form of bầu (“gourd”)

Noun

Southern Vietnam alternative form of bọ (“bug”)

Prefix

alternative form of bồ

Words with bù

bù đắp bù trừ đền bù bù tọt bù nhìn bù xù bù đầu

Example sentences with bù

Sáng sớm tóc tôi rối bù hết. Ít ra thì đưa tôi cái gương cầm tay đi - nó chắc là ở trong ngăn kéo đằng kia. My hair's messed up this morning. At least lend me a hand mirror - it should be shut in the drawer there.

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, bù could be written as 蒲, 補, 賠. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 補 (SV: bổ).

Frequently asked questions

What does bù mean in English?

bù (verb) means "to compensate; to make up".

How do you pronounce bù?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɓu˨˩]; Saigon [ʔɓʊw˨˩]. Tones: bù — 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. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.