chết

Level ≈A1 (approx.) verbadjectiveadverb Top 1,000 most common

Hanoi [t͡ɕet̚˧˦]Huế [t͡ɕet̚˦˧˥]Saigon [cəːt̚˦˥] browser voice

Syllables · tones

chếtrisingsắc

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

chết means to die; to decease; to perish.

Meanings of chết in English

Verb

intransitive to die; to decease; to perish ≈ vong mất qua đời lìa đời từ trần
- cái chếtdeath
- sự chếtdeath (in Christian literature)
- Biết chết liền.Damned if I know (literally, “If I knew I'd die at once.”).
figurative, intransitive, of devices to break; to stop working

Adjective

dead; deceased; perished
- cá chếtdead fish
figurative, of devices broken; ruined
figurative, of time unoccupied; free; idle

Adverb

informal extremely; terribly; awfully
- Em sợ chết đi được.I was dead scared.

Interjection

colloquial crap; shoot ≈ chết cha
... am/is screwed big time
- Chết tôi rồi!Screw me! / I am so screwed!
- Đừng! Mày mà đi thì chết tao!Don't! If you go, I'll be dead meat!

Words with chết

Idioms and sayings with chết

cái nết đánh chết cái đẹp — good personality strikes beauty dead
mật ngọt chết ruồi — sweet words are poison; a honey tongue, a heart of gall

Synonyms and antonyms of chết

Antonyms

sống

Example sentences with chết

Anh ấy đã chết vì bệnh lao. He died from tuberculosis.
Con trai của cô ấy đã chết. Her son is dead.
Ông ta chết được 10 năm rồi. He has been dead for ten years.
Anh ấy đã chết ba năm trước. He died three years ago.
Con trai của anh ấy đã chết. His son is dead.
Anh ấy đã chết một năm trước. He died one year ago.
Anh ấy đã chết năm năm trước. He died five years ago.
Đáng lẽ chúng ta đã chết rồi. We should be dead by now.

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, chết could be written as 折, 𣩂, 𣩁, 找. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *k-ceːt, from Proto-Austroasiatic *kceːt (“to die”). Doublet of giết (“to kill”) through an infixed form.

Frequently asked questions

What does chết mean in English?

chết (verb) means "to die; to decease; to perish".

How do you pronounce chết?

IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕet̚˧˦]; Saigon [cəːt̚˦˥]. Tones: chết — 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.