eo

nouninterjection

Hanoi [ʔɛw˧˧]Huế [ʔɛw˧˧]Saigon [ʔɛw˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

eolevelngang

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

eo means waist.

Classifier: cái — e.g. một cái eo (one waist)

Meanings of eo in English

Noun

waist

Interjection

Words with eo

eo biển eo hẹp eo ơi eo éo

Idioms and sayings with eo

đã nghèo còn mắc cái eo — having further hardship(s) stacked upon preexisting poverty

Example sentences with eo

Cô ta thắt một dải băng quanh eo. She girded her waist with a belt.

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, eo could be written as 𬁷. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Ultimately from Chinese 腰 (MC 'jiew) (SV: yêu), most likely through a Tai language. Compare Proto-Tai *ˀjeːwᴬ (“waist”) (whence Thai เอว (eeo)).

Frequently asked questions

What does eo mean in English?

eo (noun) means "waist".

How do you pronounce eo?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɛw˧˧]; Saigon [ʔɛw˧˧]. Tones: eo — level tone (ngang).

What classifier is used with eo?

Common classifiers: cái — for example "một cái eo" (one waist).

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. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.