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hồi

Level ≈A2 (approx.) nounverb Sino-Vietnamese Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [hoj˨˩]Huế [hoj˦˩]Saigon [hoj˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones
hồifallinghuyền

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

hồi means time; especially in the past.

Chinese characters: 回

Meanings of hồi in English

Noun

  1. time, especially in the past
    • hồi trướcthere was a time when; back when
    • hồi nhỏ/trẻduring childhood
  2. relatively long occurrence of an action
    • Họ nói chuyện một hồi rồi về.They talked for a while, then left.
    • Lão nói một thôi một hồi không nghỉ.He just kept going on and on forever.
  3. only in fixed expression instance of sustained sound, usually of a bell or drum
    • hồi trốnga drum roll
  4. chapter ≈ chương
    • Đã ba hồi trôi qua rồi mà chẳng thấy có tiến triển gì cả.Three chapters past and there's still no progress.
  5. act
    • Hồi 1, Cảnh 1Act 1, Scene 1
    • cấu trúc 3 hồithe 3-act structure

Verb

  1. literary to be back in good shape or a calm and collected state of consciousness

Words with hồi

cá hồihồi âmhồi báohồi hươnghồi hưuhồi kíhồi lưuhồi phụchồi sinhhồi sứchồi tỉnhhồi tưởnghồi xuânkhứ hồilần hồiliên hồiphản hồiphục hồithu hồitriệu hồiHồi giáohồi hộphồi quyHồi Quốchồi tràng

Example sentences with hồi

  • Hồi nhỏ tôi không có xe đạp. I didn't have a bicycle when I was growing up.
  • Tom đã đi Boston hồi hôm qua. Tom got to Boston yesterday.
  • Hồi còn nhỏ tôi không thích chó. I didn't like dogs when I was a kid.
  • Cuộc sống hồi đó tốt hơn. Life was nicer back then.
  • Cô ấy sinh bé gái hồi hôm qua. She gave birth to a daughter yesterday.
  • Bạn làm tôi nhớ đến mình hồi trẻ. You remind me of myself at a young age.
  • Hôm qua anh ấy đi ngủ hồi 11 giờ. Last night he went to sleep at 11 o' clock.
  • Hồi nhỏ, anh ta đã đi Paris ba lần. As a child, he went to Paris three times.

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

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 回 (“to return; occurrence classifier; chapter classifier”).

Frequently asked questions

What does hồi mean in English?

hồi (noun) means "time; especially in the past".

How do you pronounce hồi?

IPA: Hanoi [hoj˨˩]; Saigon [hoj˨˩]. Tones: hồi — falling tone (huyền).

Is hồi a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. hồi is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 回.

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.