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cơ

Level ≈A2 (approx.) nounparticle Sino-Vietnamese Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [kəː˧˧]Huế [kəː˧˧]Saigon [kəː˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
cơlevelngang

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

cơ means muscle.

Chinese characters: 肌

Meanings of cơ in English

Noun

  1. muscle
    • co cơmuscle contraction

Noun

  1. hearts

Noun

  1. a cue stick

Particle

  1. Northern Vietnam, childish, colloquial Final emphatic particle ≈ kìa
    • Không chịu đâu! Mẹ phải đi cùng cơ!I won't stand that! Mom must go too!

Noun

  1. historical military unit consisting of 10 or 200–500 soldiers.

Words with cơ

cơ bắpcơ hoànhcơ thểcầu cơcơ thủcơ hộicơ bảncơ quancơ sởcơ chếcơ cấucơ cựccơ duyêncơ giớiCơ Hocơ hàncơ họccơ hồcơ khícơ mancơ mậtcơ nghiệpcơ ngơicơ năngcơ phócơ số

Example sentences with cơ

  • Con mèo nó không cử động cơ. The cat didn't move a muscle.
  • Tôi tưởng cậu ở phố Park cơ. I thought you lived on Park Street.
  • Tom ngu đến thế cơ á? Is Tom really that stupid?
  • Tôi tưởng bạn đến một mình cơ mà. I thought you were coming alone.
  • Sao anh ta lại dám phàn nàn cơ chứ? How dare he complain?
  • Bạn giỏi lắm, dám phớt lờ tôi cơ đấy! You must have some nerve to ignore me.
  • Chúng ta vẫn còn cơ hôi giành chiến thắng. We still have a chance to win.
  • "Trả tôi quyển sách đây!" "Quyển sách nào cơ?" "Give me back my book!" "What book?"

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, cơ could be written as 奇. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Usage note: cơ

cơ at the end of a sentence, mainly in Northern speech, adds insistence, correction or a touch of surprise.

  • Insisting, often childlike: Con muốn cái màu đỏ cơ! — I want the red one!
  • Correcting: Không phải hôm nay, mai cơ. — Not today — tomorrow.
  • Surprise or checking: Thật cơ à? — Really?! Sao cơ? — Sorry, what? (didn't catch it)

Sao cơ? is a friendly Northern way to ask someone to repeat. In the South you would hear Sao? or Gì vậy?.

cơ is also a full word with other meanings: cơ hội (opportunity), cơ thể (body), cơ bắp (muscle), cơ quan (organisation; also organ of the body). These have nothing to do with the particle.

And cơ mà = "but, though" in casual Northern speech: Đẹp, cơ mà đắt. — Pretty, but expensive.

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 肌.

Frequently asked questions

What does cơ mean in English?

cơ (noun) means "muscle".

How do you pronounce cơ?

IPA: Hanoi [kəː˧˧]; Saigon [kəː˧˧]. Tones: cơ — level tone (ngang).

Is cơ a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. cơ is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 肌.

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.