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cháu

Level ≈A2 (approx.) nounpronoun Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [t͡ɕaw˧˦]Huế [t͡ɕaw˨˩˦]Saigon [ca(ː)w˦˥] browser voice
Syllables · tones

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

cháu means grandchild; nephew or niece.

Meanings of cháu in English

Noun

  1. grandchild
  2. nephew or niece

Pronoun

  1. Northern Vietnam I/me, your nephew, niece or grandchild ≈ con
  2. Northern Vietnam you, my nephew, niece or grandchild ≈ con
  3. Northern Vietnam I/me, someone who's not your child and who's a lot younger than you ≈ con
  4. Northern Vietnam you, someone who's not my child and who's a lot younger than me ≈ con
  5. he/him/she/her, the child under my guardianship (my child or grandchild) who we're talking about

Words with cháu

Example sentences with cháu

  • Mẹ của cháu có ở nhà không? Is your mother at home?
  • Cháu nó lúc đó còn trẻ. She was young.
  • Cháu nó còn nhỏ, có khi quá nhỏ. She's young, maybe too young.
  • Bổn phận của cháu là phải học tập. It is your duty to study.
  • Cháu ấy rất nhỏ tuổi. She is very young.
  • Cháu nó rất trẻ. She is very young.
  • Nói thiệt nha, nó là cháu gái của tôi đó. To tell the truth, she is my niece.
  • Cháu nó còn nhỏ quá không đi bơi một mình được. He is too young to go swimming alone.

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, cháu could be written as 𡥙, 沼, 𫲤, 𫲰. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *cuːʔ, from Proto-Austroasiatic *cuʔ (“grandchild”). Cognate with Muong [Bi] chảu (“son-in-law”), Khmer ចៅ (caw), Bahnar sŏu/sâu, Pacoh achau, Khasi 'siew.

Frequently asked questions

What does cháu mean in English?

cháu (noun) means "grandchild; nephew or niece".

How do you pronounce cháu?

IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕaw˧˦]; Saigon [ca(ː)w˦˥]. Tones: cháu — 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.