hơi
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
hơi means slightly; somewhat; a little.
Meanings of hơi in English
Adverb
- slightly, somewhat, a little ≈ tương đối
Noun
- vapor, steam
- tàu hơi nướcsteam locomotive
- breath
- hết hơibe out of breath
- smell, odor
- gas (state of matter)
- gas (chemical element or compound)
- used in compounds breeze
- used in compounds stretch, turn (single uninterrupted sitting)
- used in compounds weight of a head of livestock before slaughtering, minus its coat and entrails
Words with hơi
Synonyms and antonyms of hơi
Antonyms
Example sentences with hơi
- Tom đã dạy Mary lái xe hơi. Tom taught Mary how to drive.
- Tôi nghĩ là cái đó hơi đắt. I think that's a little too expensive.
- Anh ấy hít một hơi thật sâu. He took a deep breath.
- Tom đã hít một hơi thật sâu. Tom took a very deep breath.
- Tôi nghĩ là cái kia hơi đắt. I think that's a little too expensive.
- Anh ta hơi thở toàn mùi rượu. His breath reeks of alcohol.
- Tom trông có vẻ hơi mệt. Tom looks a bit tired.
- Tôi nghĩ cái đó hơi đắt. I think that's a little too expensive.
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, hơi could be written as 唏, 希. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Usage note: hơi
hơi means "a bit, slightly" before an adjective — and "steam, breath, gas" as a noun.
- A bit: Hơi cay. — A bit spicy. Tôi hơi mệt. — I'm a little tired. Hơi đắt. — Slightly expensive.
- Steam, vapour: hơi nước — steam; tắm hơi — sauna
- Breath: thở hơi dài — sigh; hết hơi — out of breath
- Air: bơm hơi — pump up (a tyre)
hơi softens criticism, which suits Vietnamese indirectness: Món này hơi mặn — a bit salty — is a polite way to say it is too salty.
Scale: hơi (a bit) → khá (quite) → rất, lắm (very) → quá (too / so).
✗ Tôi mệt hơi → ✓ Tôi hơi mệt. — hơi goes before.
Etymology
From Proto-Vietic *həːj, probably from some dialectal form of Chinese 氣 /气 (SV: khí).
Frequently asked questions
What does hơi mean in English?
hơi (adverb) means "slightly; somewhat; a little".
How do you pronounce hơi?
IPA: Hanoi [həːj˧˧]; Saigon [həːj˧˧]. Tones: hơi — level tone (ngang).