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bạc

Level ≈B1 (approx.) nounadjective Sino-Vietnamese Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [ʔɓaːk̚˧˨ʔ]Huế [ʔɓaːk̚˨˩ʔ]Saigon [ʔɓaːk̚˨˩˨] browser voice
Syllables · tones
bạcheavynặng

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

bạc means silver; money.

Chinese characters: 薄

Meanings of bạc in English

Noun

  1. silver
  2. informal money

Adjective

  1. silver (either in material or in appearance)
  2. figurative, of hair gray
    • Tóc thầy bạc trắng như mây.The teacher's hair is gray like clouds.

Adjective

  1. of fate or life miserable; ill

Noun

  1. abbreviation short for bài bạc (“gambling”)
    • Đen tình, đỏ bạc.Bad luck in romance brings good luck in gambling.

Words with bạc

bạc máđầu bạc răng longđồng bạcgiấy bạcmàn bạctiền bạcbạc bẽobạc đãibạc hàbội bạcđạm bạchạ bạcphụ bạctệ bạccon bạccờ bạcđánh bạcsòng bạcbạc nhượcbạc nhạcbạc phơbạc xỉu

Example sentences with bạc

  • Chiếc nhẫn được làm bằng bạc. The ring is made of silver.
  • Tôi đang mang trang sức bạc của tôi. I am wearing my silver jewelry.
  • Bạc ở trên bàn. The silver is on the table.
  • Tom nhuộm tóc bạc để có thể trông già dặn hơn. Tom dyed his hair gray so he'd look older.
  • Tóc của Mary đã bắt đầu bạc đi trước khi cô 30 tuổi. Mary's hair started turning gray before she turned thirty.
  • Tóc Mary đã bắt đầu bạc đi trước khi cô đến tuổi 30. Mary's hair started turning gray before she turned thirty.

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, bạc could be written as 白, 鉑, 礴, 泊. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *baːk (“white”), a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 白 (“white”, SV: bạch). Cognate with Proto-Pong *paːk⁸ (“white”), Pong paːk, Thổ pɐːk⁸. The semantic development “white” > “silver” parallels that of vàng (“yellow” > “gold”).

Frequently asked questions

What does bạc mean in English?

bạc (noun) means "silver; money".

How do you pronounce bạc?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɓaːk̚˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [ʔɓaːk̚˨˩˨]. Tones: bạc — heavy tone (nặng).

Is bạc a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. bạc is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 薄.

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.