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bắt cóc

Level ≈B1 (approx.) verb Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [ʔɓat̚˧˦ kawk͡p̚˧˦]Huế [ʔɓak̚˦˧˥ kawk͡p̚˦˧˥]Saigon [ʔɓak̚˦˥ kawk͡p̚˦˥] browser voice
Syllables · tones
bắtrisingsắccócrisingsắc

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

bắt cóc means to kidnap; to abduct.

Meanings of bắt cóc in English

Verb

  1. to kidnap; to abduct

Example sentences with bắt cóc

  • Sao lại có người bắt cóc họ? Why would anybody kidnap them?
  • Nhà báo bị bắt cóc bởi khủng bố. The journalist was kidnapped by terrorists.
  • Sao lại có người bắt cóc người đó? Why would anybody kidnap them?
  • Tớ từng bị bắt cóc. I was kidnapped.
  • Tôi bị bắt cóc. I have been kidnapped.
  • Tôi chưa từng bao giờ nghĩ là tôi sẽ bị bắt cóc. I never expected to be kidnapped.

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

Etymology

The Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị (1895) explains this as a truncation of the phrase bắt cóc bỏ dĩa (“pointless, futile”, literally “to get a toad and put it on a plate”), since a toad (captive) being put on a plate (useless confinement) can easily jump away; if so, the second element is indeed cóc (“toad”). Still, this might just be a folk etymology.

Frequently asked questions

What does bắt cóc mean in English?

bắt cóc (verb) means "to kidnap; to abduct".

How do you pronounce bắt cóc?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɓat̚˧˦ kawk͡p̚˧˦]; Saigon [ʔɓak̚˦˥ kawk͡p̚˦˥]. Tones: bắt — rising tone (sắc), cóc — rising tone (sắc).

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.