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cái gì

Level ≈A1 (approx.) pronouninterjectionparticle Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [kaːj˧˦ zi˨˩]Huế [kaːj˨˩˦ jɪj˦˩]Saigon [kaːj˦˥ jɪj˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones
cáirisingsắcgìfallinghuyền

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

cái gì means what; something.

Meanings of cái gì in English

Pronoun

  1. something
    • ai, cái gì, con gìthe who, the what thing, the what animal

Interjection

  1. what?
  2. what the heck!

Particle

  1. Used to express that a word should not have been said.

Example sentences with cái gì

  • Bạn nợ anh ta cái gì thế? What do you owe him?
  • Bạn nợ ông ta cái gì đấy? What do you owe him?
  • Tom đã làm mất cái gì đó. Tom has lost something.
  • Tôi đã tìm thấy cái gì đó. I've found something out.
  • Cái gì đã xảy đến với Tom? What has happened to Tom?
  • Đố bạn biết đây là cái gì! Can you guess what this is?
  • Bạn đang nói về cái gì vậy? What are you talking about?
  • Mày nợ thằng đó cái gì thế? What do you owe him?

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

Etymology

cái (“something”) + gì (“what; whatever”).

Frequently asked questions

What does cái gì mean in English?

cái gì (pronoun) means "what; something".

How do you pronounce cái gì?

IPA: Hanoi [kaːj˧˦ zi˨˩]; Saigon [kaːj˦˥ jɪj˨˩]. Tones: cái — rising tone (sắc), gì — falling tone (huyền).

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.