chi

Level ≈B1 (approx.) nounverbpronoun Sino-Vietnamese Top 3,000 most common

Hanoi [t͡ɕi˧˧]Huế [t͡ɕɪj˧˧]Saigon [cɪj˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

chilevelngang

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

chi means genus.

Chinese characters: 支

Meanings of chi in English

Noun

genus ≈ giống

Noun

formal a limb

Verb

to spend (money); to pay out; to disburse

Pronoun

Central Vietnam, literary elsewhere what; whatever ≈ gì
- Mi mần chi rứa?What are you doing over there?

Adverb

Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam what for
- Chi?For what?
- Làm vậy chi?What did you do that for?

Words with chi

Idioms and sayings with chi

không có chi — you're welcome; no problem; it's nothing

Example sentences with chi

Tôi sống ở Chi-lê. I live in Chile.
Chi có Tom mới có thể giải quyết vấn đề đó. Only Tom can resolve that problem.

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, chi could be written as 之, 亗. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 支 (“branch; to spend”).

Frequently asked questions

What does chi mean in English?

chi (noun) means "genus".

How do you pronounce chi?

IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕi˧˧]; Saigon [cɪj˧˧]. Tones: chi — level tone (ngang).

Is chi a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. chi is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 支.

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.