gối

Level ≈B1 (approx.) nounverb Top 3,000 most common

Hanoi [ɣoj˧˦]Huế [ɣoj˨˩˦]Saigon [ɣoj˦˥] browser voice

Syllables · tones

gốirisingsắc

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

gối means a pillow.

Classifier: chiếc, cái — e.g. một chiếc gối (one pillow)

Meanings of gối in English

Noun

a pillow
- vỏ/bao/áo gốia pillow case
- gối ôma body pillow

Verb

to rest one's head on something
- gối đầuto rest one's head (on something)
- sách gối đầu giườnga bible

Noun

in compounds knee (joint in the middle of the leg and area around it) ≈ đầu gối trốc gối
- lên gốito knee
- Nếu lên gối không được thì xuống chỏ.If you can't knee your opponent, try elbowing them.

Words with gối

gối dựa gối ôm gối xếp sách gối đầu giường

Example sentences with gối

Tom giấu con dao dưới gối. Tom hid the knife under his pillow.
Tôi đau đầu gối quá. My knee hurts.
Bạn đang ngủ trên gối. You're sleeping on a pillow.
Tom đang quỳ gối. Tom is kneeling.
Tom đã giấu con dao dưới gối của anh ấy. Tom hid the knife under his pillow.
Tôi có thể đặt bàn tay xuống sàn mà không cong gối. I can place the palms of my hands on the floor without bending my knees.

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, gối could be written as 桧, 𫋻, 檜, 襘. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *-koːlʔ, perhaps from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kulʔ, a variant of *kəl( ) ~ *kəəlʔ (“to support; to help”). Compare Khmer កល់ (kɑl, “to support from below”), ខ្នល់ (khnɑl, “prop; cushion”).

Frequently asked questions

What does gối mean in English?

gối (noun) means "a pillow".

How do you pronounce gối?

IPA: Hanoi [ɣoj˧˦]; Saigon [ɣoj˦˥]. Tones: gối — rising tone (sắc).

What classifier is used with gối?

Common classifiers: chiếc, cái — for example "một chiếc gối" (one a pillow).

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.