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cháy

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

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

cháy means to burn; to become burnt; to blaze.

Meanings of cháy in English

Verb

  1. intransitive to burn, to become burnt; to blaze
    • Phan ra ngoài cháy nắng ngay.Phan went outside and quickly became sunburned.
  2. transitive to burn (food)
  3. intransitive to burn out
    • Bóng đèn bị cháy rồi.The light bulb has gone out.
  4. figurative, transitive to sense pain (in a part of the body) due to a feeling of urgency
    • Bùi khát cháy họng.Bui was parched, his throat searing.
    • Hoa lo cháy ruột gan trước khi đi thi.Hoa's heart burned with anxiety before taking the test.

Adjective

  1. slang fire; dope
    • Bản nhạc này nghe khá cháy!This music is kinda fire!
  2. burnt

Noun

  1. fire
  2. burnt rice caked at the bottom of a pot of rice or rice cooker ≈ cơm cháy

Noun

  1. archaic synonym of cá cháy (“hilsa, especially Laotian or Toli shad”) ≈ cá cháy

Words with cháy

cháy túicháy nắng

Idioms and sayings with cháy

  • cháy nhà mới ra mặt chuột — when the house burns, the rodents show their faces; only after the house is incinerated will people who burn it show their mousy faces

Example sentences with cháy

  • Tôi cực kỳ thích mùi gỗ cháy. I love the smell of burning wood.
  • Ngôi nhà đã cháy thành tro. The house was burnt to ashes.
  • Chuông báo cháy vang lên. The fire alarm rang.
  • Nếu xảy cháy thì đi bộ chứ đừng chạy. In case of fire, walk, don't run.
  • Bạn có ngửi thấy mùi cao su cháy không? Do you smell rubber burning?
  • Nhà xưởng bị cháy rồi. Gọi 119 ngay đi. The factory is on fire. Call 119 immediately.
  • Có cháy ở bên hàng xóm nhà mình tối qua. Last night there was a fire in the neighborhood.
  • Đám cháy đã đến gần những tòa nhà dân cư. The fire came really close to residential buildings.

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, cháy could be written as 𪸔, 𤈜, 奵, 𩶪. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *k-carʔ (“fire, conflagration”). Cognate with Muong chẳl, Bo kacarʔ, Arem cál.

Frequently asked questions

What does cháy mean in English?

cháy (verb) means "to burn; to become burnt; to blaze".

How do you pronounce cháy?

IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕaj˧˦]; Saigon [ca(ː)j˦˥]. Tones: cháy — 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.