cứng

Level ≈B1 (approx.) adjective Top 3,000 most common

Hanoi [kɨŋ˧˦]Huế [kɨŋ˦˧˥]Saigon [kɨŋ˦˥] browser voice

Syllables · tones

cứngrisingsắc

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

cứng means hard; firm; rigid.

Meanings of cứng in English

Adjective

hard; firm; rigid ≈ rắn
hard

Words with cứng

Synonyms and antonyms of cứng

Antonyms

mềm

Example sentences with cứng

Máy tính của Tom bị cứng đơ. Tom's computer is not responding.
Không có gì cứng bằng kim cương. Nothing is as hard as a diamond.
Tôi thích những thứ dài và cứng. I like long, hard things.
Sâu bọ có lớp vỏ cứng. Insects have a hard skin.
Đá là nước ở dạng cứng. Ice is water in solid form.
Thép là một kim loại cứng. Steel is a hard metal.
Những tảng đá thì cứng. Rocks are hard.
Vì thời tiết quá lạnh cho nên nước trong hồ đã đông cứng lại. The weather was so cold that the lake froze over.

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, cứng could be written as 亘, 𠡚, 𦚸, 勁. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *kəŋʔ. Compare Khmer កឹង (kəng) and Pacoh câng. Possibly related to nứng (“horny”), through an infixed form.

Frequently asked questions

What does cứng mean in English?

cứng (adjective) means "hard; firm; rigid".

How do you pronounce cứng?

IPA: Hanoi [kɨŋ˧˦]; Saigon [kɨŋ˦˥]. Tones: cứng — 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.