còi

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

Hanoi [kɔj˨˩]Huế [kɔj˦˩]Saigon [kɔj˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

còifallinghuyền

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

còi means whistle; horn.

Classifier: cái — e.g. một cái còi (one whistle)

Meanings of còi in English

Noun

whistle (device used to make a whistling sound)
horn (loud alarm, especially on a motor vehicle)
siren (device for making a sound alarm)

Adjective

colloquial skinny; bony ≈ gầy ốm ròm tóm

Example sentences with còi

Layla buộc phải bấm còi. Layla honked the horn.
Cảnh sát thổi còi. The police officer blew his whistle.

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, còi could be written as 𩲡, 𧥇, 孤. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *t-kɔːj (“horn”). Cognate with Thavung təkɔːj¹ ("cow and buffalo horn"), Proto-Katuic *tŋkɔɔj (whence Pacoh tancoi (“horn, antler”)), Khmer កុយ (koy, “rhinoceros horn”). The original meaning was probably "horn of a herbivore", while Proto-Vietic *k-rəŋ (> sừng) was just "horn" in general.

Frequently asked questions

What does còi mean in English?

còi (noun) means "whistle; horn".

How do you pronounce còi?

IPA: Hanoi [kɔj˨˩]; Saigon [kɔj˨˩]. Tones: còi — falling tone (huyền).

What classifier is used with còi?

Common classifiers: cái — for example "một cái còi" (one whistle).

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.