bộ
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
bộ means a ministry; an order.
Meanings of bộ in English
Noun
- a ministry
- Bộ Binh / Binh Bộthe Ministry of War
- Bộ Hình / Hình Bộthe Ministry of Justice
- Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạothe the Ministry of Education and Training
- an order
- a collection of multiple copies
- bộ bàia deck/pack of cards
- serialized fiction a series
- bộ truyệna novel or comic series
- bộ phima drama or comedy TV series
- a ministry-level department in countries where the English word ministry is not used
- Bộ Quốc phòngthe Department of Defense
- abbreviation, in compounds clipping of bộ thủ (“a Chinese radical”)
- bộ nhânthe human radical, 亻
Noun
- bearing and figure; appearance; carriage; look; gait
- colloquial, derogatory capability (judging from one's appearance)
- foot (unit of measure equal to twelve inches) ≈ bộ Anh
Adverb
- only in fixed expressions on foot
- đi/cuốc bộto walk
- đi bộ đến trườngto walk to school
- Tao cuốc bộ muốn lọi giò luôn!I walked for so long my legs were literally dying!
- only in fixed expressions on land
- lính thuỷ đánh bộa marine
- giao thông đường bộland traffic
Particle
- Southern Vietnam sentence-initial question particle, is it that? do...? I bet ...
- Bộ tụi bây thấy chán lắm hay sao vậy?Do you guys just get seriously bored or what?
Noun
- dated, in compounds synonym of bạ (“register”) ≈ bạ
Words with bộ
Example sentences with bộ
- Đó quả là một bộ phim hay. That's such a good film.
- Bộ phim này nói về thơ ca. This movie is about poetry.
- Bộ phim bắt đầu lúc 10 giờ. The movie starts at ten o'clock.
- Tôi đã quên tên của bộ phim. I've forgotten the name of the movie.
- Tôi mua một bộ khăn trải bàn. I bought a set of table linen.
- Đấy là một bộ đèn giao thông. That's a set of traffic lights.
- Tom biên dịch cho bộ phim này. Tom translated this movie.
- Đó là một bộ phim tiếng Hindi. It's a Hindi film.
Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).
Usage note: bộ
bộ is the classifier for things that form a set or a whole made of parts.
- một bộ quần áo — an outfit; bộ com-lê — a suit
- bộ bàn ghế — a table-and-chairs set
- bộ phim — a film; Bộ phim này hay lắm. — This film is really good.
- bộ sưu tập — collection
Learners often wonder why films take bộ; just learn bộ phim as a set phrase.
Other common meanings:
- Government ministry: Bộ Y tế — Ministry of Health
- On foot: đi bộ — to walk; Đi bộ mất mười phút. — It's a ten-minute walk.
- Appearance, look (South): Coi bộ trời sắp mưa. — Looks like it's about to rain.
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 部, from Literary Chinese 部 (bù). 部 (bù) is used for ministries based on historical and modern Chinese models. South Korea also uses 部 (bù), while feudal Korea used 조 (jo), from Literary Chinese 曹 (cáo, “agency”). North Korea and Japan use 省 (tỉnh), which was a higher type of government agency in feudal China.
Frequently asked questions
What does bộ mean in English?
bộ (noun) means "a ministry; an order".
How do you pronounce bộ?
IPA: Hanoi [ʔɓo˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [ʔɓow˨˩˨]. Tones: bộ — heavy tone (nặng).
Is bộ a Sino-Vietnamese word?
Yes. bộ is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 部.