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cười

Level ≈A1 (approx.) nounverb Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [kɨəj˨˩]Huế [kɨj˦˩]Saigon [kɨj˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones

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

cười means smile.

Classifier: nụ, tràng — e.g. một nụ cười (one smile)

Meanings of cười in English

Noun

  1. smile
    • Một nụ cười bằng mười thang thuốc bổ.A smile does as much as ten doses of supplementary medicine.

Verb

  1. to make an expression whereby the corners of the mouth are raised; to smile, to grin, to laugh, to sneer, to smirk, etc.
    • buồn cườito want to laugh badly; to be hilarious
    • cười mỉmto smile or grin
    • cười đểuto sneer or smirk
  2. to laugh at (to make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride; to mock)
    • Ăn mặc xấu người ta cười cho đấy!People's going to laugh at you if you dress poorly!

Words with cười

Example sentences with cười

  • Cô ấy không thể nhịn được cười. She couldn't hold back her laughter.
  • Anh ấy là người cười cuối cùng. He had the last laugh.
  • Tom gần như không bao giờ cười. Tom hardly ever laughs.
  • Nó nhìn tôi và cười ngượng ngịu. She gave me a shy smile.
  • Tôi không muốn bị người ta cười. I didn't want to be laughed at.
  • Đừng cười khi người khác gặp nạn. Don't laugh at a person in trouble.
  • Tim rất thích truyện cười mỉa mai. Tim is a huge fan of satirical comedy.
  • Tôi không thích truyện cười tục tĩu. I don't like dirty jokes.

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, cười could be written as 唭, 𱕍. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Frequently asked questions

What does cười mean in English?

cười (noun) means "smile".

How do you pronounce cười?

IPA: Hanoi [kɨəj˨˩]; Saigon [kɨj˨˩]. Tones: cười — falling tone (huyền).

What classifier is used with cười?

Common classifiers: nụ, tràng — for example "một nụ cười" (one smile).

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.