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dây

Level ≈A2 (approx.) nounverb Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [zəj˧˧]Huế [jəj˧˧]Saigon [jəj˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
dâylevelngang

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

dây means rope; cord; wire.

Classifier: sợi, cọng, cái — e.g. một sợi dây (one rope)

Meanings of dây in English

Noun

  1. rope; cord; wire; string
  2. vine; stem

Verb

  1. to stain (by ink, blood, etc.) ≈ vấy
  2. of a chicken's disease to spread
  3. colloquial to get involved in something unpleasant ≈ dây dưa
    • Dây vào chuyện rùm beng ấy thì có mà sạt nghiệp.Getting tangled up in that sort of drama will drive you penniless.

Words with dây

dây chằngdây chuyềndây dưadây gắmdây giàydây leodây lưngdây mơ rễ mádây thundây tócdây xíchđường dâynhảy dâysán dâydây cươngdây nịt

Example sentences with dây

  • Tom đã leo lên cái thang dây. Tom climbed up the rope ladder.
  • Tom đã trèo lên cái thang dây. Tom climbed up the rope ladder.
  • Tom đã giữ chặt sợi dây. Tom grabbed a hold of the rope.
  • Các bạn gái trẻ chỉ thích mình dây. Young girls really want to be slender.
  • Mary đã mặc một chiếc váy không dây. Mary wore a strapless dress.
  • Tom nắm chắc sợi dây. Tom grabbed a hold of the rope.
  • Tôi cần một con dao để cắt dây thừng. I want a knife with which to cut the rope.
  • Cô ấy không dùng dây để dắt chó đi dạo. She doesn't use a leash to walk the dog.

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, dây could be written as 𦀊, 絏, 洟. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Frequently asked questions

What does dây mean in English?

dây (noun) means "rope; cord; wire".

How do you pronounce dây?

IPA: Hanoi [zəj˧˧]; Saigon [jəj˧˧]. Tones: dây — level tone (ngang).

What classifier is used with dây?

Common classifiers: sợi, cọng, cái — for example "một sợi dây" (one rope).

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.