chao

Level ≈B2 (approx.) nounverbinterjection Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [t͡ɕaːw˧˧]Huế [t͡ɕaːw˧˧]Saigon [caːw˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

chaolevelngang

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

chao means fermented bean curd.

Meanings of chao in English

Noun

Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam fermented bean curd

Verb

to glide (in the air)

Interjection

oh my

Words with chao

chao đảo chao ôi

Example sentences with chao

Những cánh chim đang chao lượn. The birds are flying around.

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, chao could be written as 洲. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From a form of Hokkien 醬 /酱 (chiùⁿ) (SV: tương). Compare Thai เต้าเจี้ยว (dtâo-jîao), Lao ເຕົ້າຈ້ຽວ (taochiāu), Malay taoco, taucu. Doublet of tương.

Frequently asked questions

What does chao mean in English?

chao (noun) means "fermented bean curd".

How do you pronounce chao?

IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕaːw˧˧]; Saigon [caːw˧˧]. Tones: chao — level tone (ngang).

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.