hỉ

verbnounparticle Sino-Vietnamese

Hanoi [hi˧˩]Huế [hɪj˧˨]Saigon [hɪj˨˩˦] browser voice

Syllables · tones

hỉdippinghỏi

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

hỉ means to blow.

Chinese characters: 喜

Meanings of hỉ in English

Verb

to blow (one's nose) ≈ xì xỉ
- hỉ mũito blow the nose

Noun

happy event; joy; celebration
- việc hỉwedding

Particle

Used to create a tag question: isn't it?; huh? ≈ nhỉ hèo hầy hề hửng
- Rứa hỉ?So, wasn't it?
- Phim ni hay hỉ?This movie really good, don't you think?
dialectal Used to clarify what one is wondering in a friendly way: oh really?; is that so? ≈ hả

Combining form

only used in hủ hỉ

Words with hỉ

hỉ nộ ái ố hoan hỉ song hỉ

Idioms and sayings with hỉ

cung hỉ phát tài — May you have a prosperous New Year!

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, hỉ could be written as 矣, 喜. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Frequently asked questions

What does hỉ mean in English?

hỉ (verb) means "to blow".

How do you pronounce hỉ?

IPA: Hanoi [hi˧˩]; Saigon [hɪj˨˩˦]. Tones: hỉ — dipping tone (hỏi).

Is hỉ a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. hỉ is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 喜.

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited. IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.