bỗng dưng

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

Hanoi [ʔɓəwŋ͡m˦ˀ˥ zɨŋ˧˧]Huế [ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˨ jɨŋ˧˧]Saigon [ʔɓəwŋ͡m˨˩˦ jɨŋ˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

bỗngcreaky risingngã dưnglevelngang

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

bỗng dưng means suddenly; all of a sudden.

Meanings of bỗng dưng in English

Adverb

suddenly; all of a sudden

Example sentences with bỗng dưng

Anh ấy bỗng dưng xuất hiện. He appeared from nowhere.
Tôi bỗng dưng thèm ăn da gà nướng giòn. I suddenly got a craving to eat some crisp roast chicken skin.
Sao bỗng dưng họ cần nhiều trung tâm dữ liệu vậy? Why do they suddenly need so many data centers?

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

Etymology

bỗng + dưng.

Frequently asked questions

What does bỗng dưng mean in English?

bỗng dưng (adverb) means "suddenly; all of a sudden".

How do you pronounce bỗng dưng?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɓəwŋ͡m˦ˀ˥ zɨŋ˧˧]; Saigon [ʔɓəwŋ͡m˨˩˦ jɨŋ˧˧]. Tones: bỗng — creaky rising tone (ngã), dưng — level tone (ngang).

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.