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cắn

Level ≈A2 (approx.) verb Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [kan˧˦]Huế [kaŋ˦˧˥]Saigon [kaŋ˦˥] browser voice
Syllables · tones
cắnrisingsắc

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

cắn means to bite; to sting.

Meanings of cắn in English

Verb

  1. to bite
  2. Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, of certain insects to sting, to bite ≈ đốt
  3. dated, of a dog synonym of sủa (“to bark”) ≈ sủa
  4. Internet slang, dated, of a dog to curse, to comment (something) disrespectfully (synonym of sủa (“to bark”))

Words with cắn

cắn rứtcắn răng

Example sentences with cắn

  • Martino cắn đứt ngón tay của Rima. Martino bit Rima’s finger off.
  • Ấy bị con gì cắn à? Which bug hurt you?
  • Một con chó đã cắn Adam hôm qua. A dog bit Adam yesterday.
  • Bạn phải bỏ thói quen cắn móng đi. You must get rid of the habit of biting your nails.
  • Tôi bị nhiều côn trùng cắn trong rừng. I was bitten by a lot of insects in the forest.
  • Trong rừng tôi bị nhiều côn trùng cắn. I was bitten by a lot of insects in the forest.
  • Bạn vừa cắn môi à? Did you just bite your lip?
  • Chó sủa ít khi cắn. Barking dogs seldom bite.

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, cắn could be written as 哏, 艮, 𡄾. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *kaɲʔ.

Frequently asked questions

What does cắn mean in English?

cắn (verb) means "to bite; to sting".

How do you pronounce cắn?

IPA: Hanoi [kan˧˦]; Saigon [kaŋ˦˥]. Tones: cắn — rising tone (sắc).

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.