kê

Level ≈B2 (approx.) nounverb Sino-Vietnamese Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [ke˧˧]Huế [kej˧˧]Saigon [kej˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

kêlevelngang

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

kê means millet.

Chinese characters: 稽 Classifier: cây, hạt — e.g. một cây kê (one millet)

Meanings of kê in English

Noun

millet

Verb

to prescribe ≈ kê đơn

Verb

to rest (a part of one's body) on something
- kê chân lên ghếto rest one's legs on a chair
to place; to arrange; to put

Words with kê

kê đơn kê khai kiểm kê

Example sentences with kê

Kê-su-kê cao hơn tôi. Keisuke is taller than me.
Bác sĩ đã kê toa thuốc cho con gái tôi. The doctor gave my daughter a prescription.

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, kê could be written as 嵇, 稽, 計. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Cognate with Muong Bi kiêl.

Frequently asked questions

What does kê mean in English?

kê (noun) means "millet".

How do you pronounce kê?

IPA: Hanoi [ke˧˧]; Saigon [kej˧˧]. Tones: kê — level tone (ngang).

Is kê a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. kê is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 稽.

What classifier is used with kê?

Common classifiers: cây, hạt — for example "một cây kê" (one millet).

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.