cái
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
cái means (classifier for things); the thing.
Meanings of cái in English
Classifier
- Indicates an inanimate, tangible thing
- Cái răng cái tóc là góc con người.Teeth and [head]hair are part and parcel of the human figure ~ Teeth and [head]hair tell how good one looks.
- colloquial Precedes another classifier (any one but “cái” itself), effectively acting as a focus marker, sometimes conveying a connotation of deprecation, especially if persons are referred to.
- Cầm cái con dao này đưa cho mẹ.Take this knife and hand it to your mom.
- Cái thằng đần thối này!You stinkin' moron!
- obsolete Indicates animals
Noun
- followed by verb utensil for ≈ đồ
- cái đánh trứnga whisk
- followed by adjective that which is
- cái đẹpbeauty
- cái cao cảthe sublime
- followed by adverb way of working, way of doing (something)
- the solid bits (of a broth)
- Canh này thì chỉ có nước là ngon, còn cái thì dở ẹc.Only the liquid part of this broth tastes good, the solid bits suck.
Noun
Adjective
- female
- hoa cáicarpellate flower; female flower
- nhị cáia pistil
- in compounds big, large, main
- sông cáithe big river
- ngón chân cáithe big toe
Words with cái
Idioms and sayings with cái
- con dại cái mang — the child's mistakes fall on the parents
Synonyms and antonyms of cái
Synonyms
Example sentences with cái
- Tom sẽ ăn cái đó thật ư? Is Tom really going to eat that?
- Cô ấy đặt nó vào cái hộp. She put it in the box.
- Cái xe đạp này là của ai? Whose is this bicycle?
- Anh ấy đã đào một cái hố. He dug a hole.
- Ông ấy đã đào một cái hố. He dug a hole.
- Cô ấy đã chọn một cái mũ. She chose a hat.
- Tôi sẽ tự sửa cái máy đó. I'll repair that machine myself.
- Cái hộp đó được làm từ gỗ. The box is made of wood.
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, cái could be written as 丐, 𫡔, 個, 𡛔. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Usage note: cái
In Vietnamese you cannot usually say "two bananas" or "this chair" with just a number or "this" and a noun; you need a classifier in between. cái is the general classifier for inanimate objects.
- hai cái ghế — two chairs
- cái bàn này — this table
- Cho tôi một cái bánh bao. — One steamed bun, please.
With này, kia, nào, cái can stand alone as "one": Tôi lấy cái này. — I'll take this one. Cái nào? — Which one?
cái gì is "what (thing)": Đây là cái gì? — What is this?
Limits: cái is not used for animals (con) or people (người), and many objects have a more specific classifier: quyển for books, tờ for sheets, chiếc for vehicles.
✗ hai cái mèo → ✓ hai con mèo. When you do not know the specific classifier for an object, cái is usually understood.
Etymology
Cognate with Muong Bi cảy, Tho [Cuối Chăm] keː³, Chut [Mày] kɛ⁴ (Babaev & Samarina, 2018), Chut [Rục] kɛ⁴ (Nguyễn Văn Lợi, 1993).
Frequently asked questions
What does cái mean in English?
cái (classifier) means "(classifier for things); the thing".
How do you pronounce cái?
IPA: Hanoi [kaːj˧˦]; Saigon [kaːj˦˥]. Tones: cái — rising tone (sắc).