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hiền

Level ≈B2 (approx.) adjective Sino-Vietnamese Top 5,000 most common
Hanoi [hiən˨˩]Huế [hiəŋ˦˩]Saigon [hiəŋ˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones
hiềnfallinghuyền

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

hiền means good-natured; gentle; meek.

Chinese characters: 賢

Meanings of hiền in English

Adjective

  1. of people, especially women good-natured
    • mẹ/vợ/dâu hiềna good-natured mother/wife/daughter-in-law
    • người hiền kẻ ácgood and evil people
  2. gentle; meek; mild ≈ lành
    • hiền như nai (tơ)as gentle as a fawn
    • hiền như ma xơas gentle as a nun
    • Đừng lo! Cái thằng/con đó hiền lắm.Don't worry! That guy/gal is very meek.
  3. Southern Vietnam, euphemistic ingenuous
    • Em hiền quá à! Vậy thì sao có bồ được?You're too ingenuous! How can you get a girlfriend?
  4. Southern Vietnam, of foods innocuous, harmless, nutritious, healthy
  5. archaic talented, virtuous
    • người hiền kẻ sĩwise and learned people; virtuosi and literati

Words with hiền

hiền đứchiền hậuhiền hoàhiền lànhhiền nhânhiền sĩ

Example sentences with hiền

  • Anh ấy hiền lắm. He's very kind.

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, hiền could be written as 贒, 䝨. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 賢 (“able; talented, virtuous; decent, good-natured, kind”).

Frequently asked questions

What does hiền mean in English?

hiền (adjective) means "good-natured; gentle; meek".

How do you pronounce hiền?

IPA: Hanoi [hiən˨˩]; Saigon [hiəŋ˨˩]. Tones: hiền — falling tone (huyền).

Is hiền a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. hiền is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 賢.

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.