bọ

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

Hanoi [ʔɓɔ˧˨ʔ]Huế [ʔɓɔ˨˩ʔ]Saigon [ʔɓɔ˨˩˨] browser voice

Syllables · tones

bọheavynặng

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

bọ means insect; bug.

Classifier: con — e.g. một con bọ (one insect)

Meanings of bọ in English

Noun

insect; bug ≈ côn trùng
Southern Vietnam guinea pig ≈ chuột lang
uncommon maggot ≈ giòi hua tửa

Noun

Central Vietnam, Northern Vietnam father; dad ≈ ba bố cậu cha thầy tía
- Chú ni giống con bọ hung!You look so much like my son!

Words with bọ

bọ cánh cứng bọ cạp bọ chét bọ dừa bọ hung bọ ngựa bọ rùa bọ xít sâu bọ bọ chó bọ gậy bọ que

Example sentences with bọ

Có con bọ nằm trong mắt tôi nhưng tôi không thể lấy nó ra được. I got a bug in my eye and I can't get it out.

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, bọ could be written as 蜅, 𧌂, 𧏳, 𧐾. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From a Sino-Tibetan language. Compare Proto-Loloish *bi/bo² (“insect”) (whence Yao'an Lolopo bber).

Frequently asked questions

What does bọ mean in English?

bọ (noun) means "insect; bug".

How do you pronounce bọ?

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

What classifier is used with bọ?

Common classifiers: con — for example "một con bọ" (one insect).

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.