cu
Hanoi [ku˧˧]Huế [kʊw˧˧]Saigon [kʊw˧˧] browser voice
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
cu means penis; cock; prick.
Classifier: con — e.g. một con cu (one penis)
Meanings of cu in English
Noun
- informal penis; cock; prick
Noun
- dove; pigeon (especially the wild ones)
Interjection
- onomatopoeia coo
Noun
- colloquial boy
- Thằng cu đó quậy thật.He's one mischievous boy.
- Cu Tí ơi!Hey, Ti-boy!
- Ê cu! Lại đây biểu!Hey boy! Come here!
Words with cu
Example sentences with cu
- Tích tắc, tích tắc, tích tắc – cái đồng hồ cúc cu đang kêu trên tường. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock – the old cuckoo clock was ticking on the wall.
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, cu could be written as 鴝, 俱. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Etymology
From Proto-Vietic *t-kuː (“dove”); ultimately onomatopoeic. Cognate with Kha Phong təkuː¹. Compare Thai เขา (kǎo), Chinese 鳩 (OC *[k](r)u) (B-S), Burmese ခို (hkui), English coo.
Frequently asked questions
What does cu mean in English?
cu (noun) means "penis; cock; prick".
How do you pronounce cu?
IPA: Hanoi [ku˧˧]; Saigon [kʊw˧˧]. Tones: cu — level tone (ngang).
What classifier is used with cu?
Common classifiers: con — for example "một con cu" (one penis).