gai

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

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

Syllables · tones

gailevelngang

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

gai means thorn; prickle.

Classifier: cái, cây, quả, trái — e.g. một cái gai (one thorn)

Meanings of gai in English

Noun

thorn
prickle
hemp-nettle
Central Vietnam pineapple

Noun

ramie

Words with gai

chông gai gai góc ngò gai gai ốc

Example sentences with gai

Hoa hồng nào mà chẳng có gai. Every rose has its thorns.
Hoa càng đẹp thì càng có nhiều gai. Beautiful flowers have thorns.
Hoa hồng có gai. Roses have thorns.
Tôi thích nhím gai. I love hedgehogs.

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, gai could be written as 荄, 核, 𣘃, 𦃮. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *t-keː. Cognate with Arem takeː ("horn"), Proto-Bahnaric *ʔəkɛː (whence Bahnar ake/hơke) and Proto-Katuic *kii, *ʔakii (whence Pacoh ki (“horn on nose, single tusk of rhino”)).

Frequently asked questions

What does gai mean in English?

gai (noun) means "thorn; prickle".

How do you pronounce gai?

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

What classifier is used with gai?

Common classifiers: cái, cây, quả, trái — for example "một cái gai" (one thorn).

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.