cau

nounverb

Hanoi [kaw˧˧]Huế [kaw˧˧]Saigon [ka(ː)w˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

caulevelngang

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

cau means areca.

Classifier: cây, trái — e.g. một cây cau (one areca)

Meanings of cau in English

Noun

areca ≈ nang

Verb

to frown

Words with cau

trầu cau cau có cau mày

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, cau could be written as 榚, 槁, 槔, 橰. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *kaw.

Frequently asked questions

What does cau mean in English?

cau (noun) means "areca".

How do you pronounce cau?

IPA: Hanoi [kaw˧˧]; Saigon [ka(ː)w˧˧]. Tones: cau — level tone (ngang).

What classifier is used with cau?

Common classifiers: cây, trái — for example "một cây cau" (one areca).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited. IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.