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giùm

Level ≈B1 (approx.) adverb Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [zum˨˩]Huế [jum˦˩]Saigon [jʊm˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones
giùmfallinghuyền

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

giùm means in someone else's stead.

Meanings of giùm in English

Adverb

  1. Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam in someone else's stead ≈ hộthaynhờ
    • Mày mua giùm tao điếu thuốc cái coi!Get me a cigarette while you're at it, please!

Example sentences with giùm

  • Nếu mày gặp Tom, làm ơn nói nó giùm tao. If you see Tom, please tell him for me.
  • Nếu mày thấy Tom, làm ơn nói nó giùm tao. If you see Tom, please tell him for me.
  • Tôi nghe bảo là Tom nhờ cậu rửa giùm chiếc xe của anh ấy. I heard that Tom asked you to help him wash his car.

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, giùm could be written as 用, 𡑓. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Ferlus, 2009: From Proto-Vietic *p-tʃuːm, a prefixed form of Proto-Vietic *tʃuːm (“to gather”), via the changes of /p-tʃuːm/ > /p-ʝuːm/ > /ʝuːm/. The forms of gium (“to help”), giúm (“to help each other”) and giụm (“to put together”) are attested in older dictionaries. Related to xum (“to meet; to get together”, now obsolete), xúm (“to gather; to collect”), chùm (“bunch; cluster”) and chụm (“to assemble; to gather”). Outside Vietic, related to Khmer ប្រជុំ (prɑɑcum, “to gather; to meet together”) → Thai ประชุม (bprà-chum, “to gather; to meet”).

Frequently asked questions

What does giùm mean in English?

giùm (adverb) means "in someone else's stead".

How do you pronounce giùm?

IPA: Hanoi [zum˨˩]; Saigon [jʊm˨˩]. Tones: giùm — 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.