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hè

Level ≈B1 (approx.) nounparticleverb Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [hɛ˨˩]Huế [hɛ˦˩]Saigon [hɛ˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones
hèfallinghuyền

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

hè means summer.

Meanings of hè in English

Noun

  1. summer
    • nghỉ hèto be on summer break

Noun

  1. a porch
    • Đem xe vào nhà chứ đừng để ngoài hè.Bring the bike inside, don't leave it outside on the porch.
  2. abbreviation short for vỉa hè (“sidewalk; pavement”)
    • Ở Việt Nam, nhiều cửa hàng lấn chiếm hè phố làm chỗ đậu xe.In Vietnam, many stores and shops appropriate sidewalks for parking space.

Particle

  1. Central Vietnam Indicates volition or encouragement: let's; come on ≈ nào
    • Đi ăn hè!Let's go eat out!
  2. Central Vietnam Tag question particle. ≈ nhỉ
    • Bựa ni lạnh hè?It's cold today, don't you think?

Verb

  1. to call out for mutually doing a task ≈ hò

Example sentences with hè

  • Hè năm ngoái Tom đã học bơi. Tom learned to swim last summer.
  • Tom và Mary đã đến Brazil hè năm ngoái. Tom and Mary went to Brazil last summer.
  • Tôi phát hiện ra một trò chơi mới vào hè này. I discovered a new game this summer.
  • Tom và Marry hè năm sau định tổ chức đám cưới. Tom and Mary are going to get married next summer.
  • Tôi chỉ muốn năm học kết thúc để tôi còn làm bài tập hè. I just want the school year to end and to start doing my summer homework.

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, hè could be written as 夏, 𡕵, 厦, 𡏘. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 夏 (“summer”, SV: hạ). Doublet of hạ. Compare xe and xa, chè and trà. Also compare Japanese go-on reading げ (ge) and kan-on reading か (ka) of the same Chinese word.

Frequently asked questions

What does hè mean in English?

hè (noun) means "summer".

How do you pronounce hè?

IPA: Hanoi [hɛ˨˩]; Saigon [hɛ˨˩]. Tones: hè — 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.