bẻ

Level ≈B2 (approx.) verb Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [ʔɓɛ˧˩]Huế [ʔɓɛ˧˨]Saigon [ʔɓɛ˨˩˦] browser voice

Syllables · tones

bẻdippinghỏi

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

bẻ means to break; to snap.

Meanings of bẻ in English

Verb

to break; to snap
- bẻ đôito break/snap in two
- một chữ bẻ đôi (cũng/còn) không biếtto be illiterate / poorly educated
- một nốt nhạc bẻ đôi (cũng/còn) không biếtto be musically illiterate

Words with bẻ

bắt bẻ mượn gió bẻ măng bẻ đôi

Example sentences with bẻ

Tom bẻ gãy bút chì của mình. Tom broke his pencil.
Tom bẻ cổ con gà. Tom wrung the chicken's neck.

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, bẻ could be written as 𢯏, 披. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *pɛh (“to break in two, to pick”), from Proto-Austroasiatic *pɛːh (“to break off”). Cognate with Arem pɛh, Khmu [Cuang] pɛh, Khmer បេះ (beh), Semai pèh.

Frequently asked questions

What does bẻ mean in English?

bẻ (verb) means "to break; to snap".

How do you pronounce bẻ?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɓɛ˧˩]; Saigon [ʔɓɛ˨˩˦]. Tones: bẻ — dipping tone (hỏi).

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.