giấy

Level ≈A2 (approx.) noun Top 1,000 most common

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

Syllables · tones

giấyrisingsắc

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

giấy means paper; tissue.

Classifier: tờ — e.g. một tờ giấy (one paper)

Meanings of giấy in English

Noun

paper (material for writing on)
tissue (for cleaning)

Words with giấy

bàn giấy dao rọc giấy giấy bạc giấy bồi giấy dó giấy nến giấy nhám giấy phép giấy sáp giấy than giấy thông hành giấy tờ giấy vệ sinh hoa giấy giấy can giấy ướt

Example sentences with giấy

Người bán thịt gói thịt trong giấy. The butcher packs the meat in paper.
Lấy giấy ra mà viết đi. Grab some paper and write.
Tom thích gấp máy bay giấy. Tom likes making paper aeroplanes.
Ngày nay, giấy được dùng nhiều mỗi ngày. Today, paper is used in quantity every day.
Tôi cần một tờ giấy. I need a piece of paper.
Còn rất ít giấy thừa. There's very little paper left.
Giấy thì hấp thụ nước. Paper absorbs water.
Làm ơn cho tôi một tờ giấy để viết. Please give me a piece of paper to write on.

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, giấy could be written as 𫷏, 紙, 絏, 繶. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *k-cajʔ, from a descendant of reconstructed Old Chinese 紙 (OC *k.teʔ) when the dental stop already palatalized. Attested as gếy in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651). Cognate with Arem kacajˀ ("book"), Muong chẩy (“paper”); non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 紙 (“paper”, SV: chỉ).

Frequently asked questions

What does giấy mean in English?

giấy (noun) means "paper; tissue".

How do you pronounce giấy?

IPA: Hanoi [zəj˧˦]; Saigon [jəj˦˥]. Tones: giấy — rising tone (sắc).

What classifier is used with giấy?

Common classifiers: tờ — for example "một tờ giấy" (one paper).

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.