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cố

Level ≈A1 (approx.) nounverbprefix Sino-Vietnamese Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [ko˧˦]Huế [kow˨˩˦]Saigon [kow˦˥] browser voice
Syllables · tones
cốrisingsắc

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

cố means great-grandparent.

Chinese characters: 故

Meanings of cố in English

Noun

  1. Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam great-grandparent ≈ cụ

Verb

  1. to try; to endeavor

Verb

  1. in compounds to reason

Prefix

  1. the late
    • cố Tổng Bí thư Trường Chinhthe late General Secretary Trường Chinh

Adjective

  1. in compounds intentional; premeditated

Adjective

  1. in compounds firm; strong

Verb

  1. in compounds to seal

Words with cố

biến cốcha cốcố đôcố nhâncố tìnhcố ýđiển cốquá cốsự cốcố côngcố gắngcố lêncố địnhgia cốngoan cốthâm căn cố đếtư bản cố địnhcầm cốcấm cốcố chấpcố hươngcố hữucố thủcố tậtcố vấn

Idioms and sayings with cố

  • ôn cố tri tân — One should be able to derive new understanding while revising what one has learned.

Example sentences with cố

  • Cố giữ cho mắt cậu mở ra. Try to keep your eyes open.
  • Tom sẽ cố để ngăn cản cậu. Tom will try to stop you.
  • Tôi đã cố không nghĩ về nó. I tried not to think about that.
  • Ai đã cố giết cô ta? Who tried to kill her?
  • Tôi đã cố cứu anh ta. I tried to save him.
  • Tom đã từng cố tự tử. Tom tried to commit suicide.
  • Bạn đang cố giết tôi à? Are you trying to kill me?
  • Tom sẽ cố ngăn cản tôi. Tom will try to stop me.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 故. Doublet of cụ and cớ.

Frequently asked questions

What does cố mean in English?

cố (noun) means "great-grandparent".

How do you pronounce cố?

IPA: Hanoi [ko˧˦]; Saigon [kow˦˥]. Tones: cố — rising tone (sắc).

Is cố a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. cố is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 故.

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.