gì

Level ≈A1 (approx.) pronouninterjection Top 1,000 most common

Hanoi [zi˨˩]Huế [jɪj˦˩]Saigon [jɪj˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

gìfallinghuyền

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

gì means what; anything.

Meanings of gì in English

Pronoun

Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam what; whatever
Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam anything

Interjection

An interrogative expression nearly equivalent to “What?”

Words with gì

cái gì hèn gì huống gì khác gì ra gì thiếu gì việc gì

Idioms and sayings with gì

không có gì — you are welcome, no problem

Example sentences with gì

bạn làm gì ở đây thế ? What are you doing here?
Tôi sẽ ăn bất cứ thứ gì. I'll eat anything.
Bạn đã nói gì với họ vậy? What did you say to them?
Bạn cần bác sĩ để làm gì? What do you need a doctor for?
Nhóm máu của cô ấy là gì? What's her blood type?
Làm việc đó thì có hại gì? What is the harm in doing that?
Tiếng mẹ đẻ của bạn là gì? What's your native language?
Họ định sẽ làm gì tôi đây? What are they going to do to me?

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, gì could be written as 之, 𱍻, 𫩝, 𱍽. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Cognate with Muong chi.

Frequently asked questions

What does gì mean in English?

gì (pronoun) means "what; anything".

How do you pronounce gì?

IPA: Hanoi [zi˨˩]; Saigon [jɪj˨˩]. Tones: gì — 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.