dần dần

Level ≈B2 (approx.) adverb Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [zən˨˩ zən˨˩]Huế [jəŋ˦˩ jəŋ˦˩]Saigon [jəŋ˨˩ jəŋ˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

dầnfallinghuyền dầnfallinghuyền

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

dần dần means gradually; little by little.

Meanings of dần dần in English

Adverb

gradually; little by little

Example sentences with dần dần

Tom đang dần dần giỏi lên. Tom is slowly getting better.
Bà tôi dần dần trở nên hay quên và yếu hơn. My grandmother was gradually becoming forgetful and frail.

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, dần dần could be written as 寅寅, 演演, 閩閩. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Reduplication of dần.

Frequently asked questions

What does dần dần mean in English?

dần dần (adverb) means "gradually; little by little".

How do you pronounce dần dần?

IPA: Hanoi [zən˨˩ zən˨˩]; Saigon [jəŋ˨˩ jəŋ˨˩]. Tones: dần — falling tone (huyền), dần — falling tone (huyền).

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.