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hai

Level ≈A1 (approx.) numeralinterjectionadjective Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [haːj˧˧]Huế [haːj˧˧]Saigon [haːj˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
hailevelngang

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

hai means two.

Meanings of hai in English

Numeral

  1. two

Interjection

  1. cheese! (said while being photographed)

Adjective

  1. Southern Vietnam, of a sibling eldest or elder; firstborn ≈ cả
    • anh/chị haieldest brother/sister
    • bác haieldest brother/sister of one's parent

Words with hai

bắt cá hai taytháng haithứ haihai mươihai chấmhai lúahai ngón

Example sentences with hai

  • Hai má của cô đỏ rực lên. Her cheeks were bright red.
  • Cô ấy đã mua hai tá trứng. She bought two dozen eggs.
  • Nó đã xảy ra hai năm trước. It happened two years ago.
  • Hai từ này khác nhau ở đâu? What's the difference between these two words?
  • Cô ấy cần hai cái túi xách. She needs two handbags.
  • Tôi có chồng và hai đứa con. I am married and have two children.
  • Hai người đó đều đã làm tốt. They both did well.
  • Hai tụi mình nên đi ngủ nhở? You and I both should go to sleep, right?

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, hai could be written as 𠄩, 咍, 台. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *haːr, from Proto-Austroasiatic *ɓaːr (or some variant presented by Proto-Palaungic *ləʔaːr, Khasi ar, Central Nicobarese [Nancowry] âṅ; Shorto reconstructed Pre-Mon-Khmer *biʔaar). Cognate with Muong hal, Khmer ពីរ (pii), Bahnar 'bar, Pacoh bar, Khasi ar, Mon ၜါ, Santali ᱵᱟᱨ (bar).

Frequently asked questions

What does hai mean in English?

hai (numeral) means "two".

How do you pronounce hai?

IPA: Hanoi [haːj˧˧]; Saigon [haːj˧˧]. Tones: hai — level tone (ngang).

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.