hễ

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

Hanoi [he˦ˀ˥]Huế [hej˧˨]Saigon [hej˨˩˦] browser voice

Syllables · tones

hễcreaky risingngã

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

hễ means if; whenever; each time.

Meanings of hễ in English

Conjunction

if; whenever; each time

Example sentences with hễ

Phiền quá... Hễ khi nào dùng máy tính, tôi lại đau đầu. So annoying... Now I get a headache whenever I use the computer!
Hễ tôi kiếm được cái gì tôi thích thì nó lại đắt quá. Whenever I find something I like, it's too expensive.
Anh ta hễ mở mồm ra là y như rằng sẽ phàn nàn về điều gì đó. He never opens his mouth without complaining about something.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 係 (SV: hệ).

Frequently asked questions

What does hễ mean in English?

hễ (conjunction) means "if; whenever; each time".

How do you pronounce hễ?

IPA: Hanoi [he˦ˀ˥]; Saigon [hej˨˩˦]. Tones: hễ — creaky rising tone (ngã).

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.