két
Hanoi [kɛt̚˧˦]Huế [kɛt̚˦˧˥]Saigon [kɛk̚˦˥] browser voice
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
két means parrot.
Classifier: con — e.g. một con két (one parrot)
Meanings of két in English
Noun
- Southern Vietnam parrot ≈ vẹt
Noun
- safe; strongbox; coffer; lockbox
- case (used to store glass bottles of beer or soft drink)
Words with két
Example sentences with két
- Tôi cho tiền vào trong két sắt. I put the money into the safe.
- Tom mở cửa két sắt. Tom opened the safe.
- Chúng ta hãy cất cái này vào trong két đi. Let's put this in the safe.
- Bọn trộm trốn thoát với tất cả số tiền trong két. The robbers made away with all the money in the safe.
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, két could be written as 鴶, 𪁄, 鴼. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Etymology
Attested as kéc in the Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1838) and Đại Nam Quấc âm tự vị (1895). It is not clear if this spelling was etymological or if it simply reflected the /k/-/t/ coda merger (both dictionaries were based on the Southern dialects).
Frequently asked questions
What does két mean in English?
két (noun) means "parrot".
How do you pronounce két?
IPA: Hanoi [kɛt̚˧˦]; Saigon [kɛk̚˦˥]. Tones: két — rising tone (sắc).
What classifier is used with két?
Common classifiers: con — for example "một con két" (one parrot).