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chị

Level ≈A1 (approx.) pronounnoun Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ]Huế [t͡ɕɪj˨˩ʔ]Saigon [cɪj˨˩˨] browser voice
Syllables · tones
chịheavynặng

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

chị means you; my big sister.

Meanings of chị in English

Pronoun

  1. you, my big sister
  2. you, my female cousin who's descended from an ancestor who is/was an older sibling to mine or my spouse's
  3. familiar you, a female who's (presumably) slightly older than me
  4. you, a young-adult woman
  5. you, the high schoolgirl reading this textbook ≈ anhem
  6. I/me, your big sister
  7. I/me, your female cousin who's descended from an ancestor who is/was an older sibling to yours or your spouse's
  8. familiar I/me, a female who's (presumably) slightly older than you
  9. literary she/her, that admirable/lovable young-adult woman

Noun

  1. an elder sister ≈ chị gái
  2. a female cousin who's descended from an ancestor who is/was an older sibling to yours or your spouse's
  3. a female who's (presumably) slightly older than you or the person you're talking to

Words with chị

chị ấychị dâuchị đạichị emchị gái

Example sentences with chị

  • Con nên học theo chị con đi. Follow your sister's example.
  • Mary không phải là chị của Tom. Mary is Tom's sister.
  • Chị tôi không phải chị ruột tôi. My sister isn't my full sister.
  • Bây giờ chị muốn cái gì? What do you want now?
  • Mày học theo chị mày đi. Follow your sister's example.
  • Chị có phải là Mary không? Are you Mary?
  • George kết hôn với chị tôi. George married my sister.
  • Tôi trông khác với chị tôi. I look different from my sister.

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, chị could be written as 姊, 姉, 肺. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Middle Vietnamese chị, from Proto-Vietic *ɟiːʔ, from Old Chinese 姊 (OC *[ts][i]jʔ) (B-S) (SV: tỉ). The voicing dissimilarity of the onset is unexplained.

Frequently asked questions

What does chị mean in English?

chị (pronoun) means "you; my big sister".

How do you pronounce chị?

IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [cɪj˨˩˨]. Tones: chị — heavy tone (nặng).

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.