cua
Hanoi [kuə˧˧]Huế [kuə˧˧]Saigon [kuə˧˧] browser voice
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
cua means crab.
Classifier: con — e.g. một con cua (one crab)
Meanings of cua in English
Noun
- crab (a crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura)
Verb
- Southern Vietnam, slang to take out a girl ≈ cưa
Noun
- informal corner, curve, bend (point where a route changes sharply)
- Xe chạy qua cua.The car rounded a corner.
- informal period, term, round (period of time required to complete a task)
- theo học một cua ngoại ngữto study a foreign language for a term
- Học mỗi cua ba tháng.Each term of study is three months.
Adjective
- informal having a buzzcut, crewcut
- đầu húi cuaa buzzcut haircut
Words with cua
Example sentences with cua
- Anh ấy bắt được một con cua. He caught a crab.
- Cô ấy đang bóc yếm cua. She is peeling crab shells.
- Chúng tôi đã mua cua sống cho bữa tối. We bought live crabs for dinner.
- Đếm cua trong lỗ. Don't count your chickens.
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, cua could be written as 𧍏, 𧍆, 姑, 𩸰. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Etymology
Borrowed from French courtiser or French cour.
Frequently asked questions
What does cua mean in English?
cua (noun) means "crab".
How do you pronounce cua?
IPA: Hanoi [kuə˧˧]; Saigon [kuə˧˧]. Tones: cua — level tone (ngang).
What classifier is used with cua?
Common classifiers: con — for example "một con cua" (one crab).