cũ
Hanoi [ku˦ˀ˥]Huế [kʊw˧˨]Saigon [kʊw˨˩˦] browser voice
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
cũ means old; but not ancient; compare cổ and già.
Meanings of cũ in English
Adjective
- of an object old, but not ancient; compare cổ (“ancient”) and già (of a lifeform)
- of an object secondhand (not new; previously owned and used by another)
- of a geographic place former
- Liên Xô cũthe former Soviet Union
- Nam Tư cũthe former Yugoslavia
- obsolete
- từ/nghĩa cũan obsolete word/sense
- of a person no longer close
- bạn cũold friend
- người yêu/người tình/bồ/bạn trai/bạn gái cũan ex-lover/boyfriend/girlfriend
- chồng/vợ cũan ex-husband/wife
Words with cũ
Example sentences with cũ
- Để lại nó vào chỗ cũ đi. Put that back where it was.
- Cây đàn piano của tôi đã cũ. My piano is old.
- Đó là một chiếc đàn piano cũ. It's an old piano.
- Tom và Mary đều thích phim cũ. Tom and Mary both like old movies.
- Họ tăng tôi một quyển sách cũ. They're giving me an old book.
- Tôi thích xe ô tô cũ. I like old cars.
- Ngôi nhà trắng đó đã cũ. The white house is old.
- Quyển sách này thật là cũ! How old this book is!
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, cũ could be written as 具, 𫇰, 𦼨, 𬞰. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Etymology
Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 古 (“old”, SV: cổ). Doublet of cổ.
Frequently asked questions
What does cũ mean in English?
cũ (adjective) means "old; but not ancient; compare cổ and già".
How do you pronounce cũ?
IPA: Hanoi [ku˦ˀ˥]; Saigon [kʊw˨˩˦]. Tones: cũ — creaky rising tone (ngã).