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kêu

Level ≈B1 (approx.) verbadjective Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [kew˧˧]Huế [kew˧˧]Saigon [kew˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
kêulevelngang

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

kêu means to cry.

Meanings of kêu in English

Verb

  1. to cry (to shout, scream, yell; to utter animal sounds)
    • chó sủa, mèo kêudogs bark, cats cry
    • Mày mà không bảo con chó của mày im là tao giết nó bây giờ ! Đêm hôm cứ kêu ăng ẳng nhức cả đầu !I'll kill your stupid dog if you won't shut it up! It's been howling and giving me headache this whole night!
    • tiếng kêua call or cry
  2. to call for someone to see or help you ≈ bảo
    • kêu người đến giúpto call for help
    • Kêu nó lên đây tao bảo.Tell him to see me.
    • Mày kêu tao hả ?Did you want to see me? / Were you looking for me?
  3. abbreviation short for kêu ca (“to whine”)
    • Cả hè không chịu làm, giờ bài dồn đống thì đừng có kêu.Stop whining. You didn't do a single exercise the whole summer, no wonder they've all piled up now.

Adjective

  1. uproarious
  2. colloquial, of one's wording intriguing
    • Cách kể truyện này phải nói kêu ơi là kêu áThe way the plot is being delivered sounds very much intriguing!

Words with kêu

kêu cakêu cứukêu gọikêu nài

Idioms and sayings with kêu

Example sentences with kêu

  • Con lừa đang kêu be be. The donkey is braying.
  • Tôi cần kêu thợ sửa cái TV này. I must get the television fixed.
  • Báo thức của tôi kêu lên lúc 7:20. My alarm goes off at 7:20.
  • Con mèo đã kêu meo. The cat meowed.
  • Con mèo con kêu meo. The kitten mewed.
  • "Đây đúng là thứ mà tôi đang tìm" anh ta kêu lên. "This is what I was looking for!" he exclaimed.
  • Tích tắc, tích tắc, tích tắc – cái đồng hồ cúc cu đang kêu trên tường. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock – the old cuckoo clock was ticking on the wall.
  • Con mèo nhà tôi không phản ứng gì khi tôi gọi tên nó, nhưng lại phản ứng khi tôi kêu "meo". My cat responded not to her name, but instead when I said "meow."

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, kêu could be written as 呌, 叫, 嗃, 嘵. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Usage note: kêu

kêu has a cluster of meanings around making sounds and calling.

  • Call (South, everyday): Kêu taxi giùm em. — Call me a taxi. Kêu món chưa? — Have you ordered?
  • Tell someone to (South): Má kêu về ăn cơm. — Mum says come home and eat.
  • Make a noise: Con chó kêu cả đêm. — The dog barked all night. Điện thoại kêu. — The phone's ringing.
  • Complain: kêu ca, than kêu — grumble: Đừng kêu nữa! — Stop complaining!

Northern equivalents for the first two: gọi and bảo.

Calls for help: kêu cứu — cry for help.

Describing names: Nó tên gì? — Người ta kêu nó là Bé. — What's her name? — People call her Be. (South)

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *keːw (“to call”), a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 叫 (“to call; to cry; to shout”, SV: khiếu). Akin to Proto-Pearic *keːv.

Frequently asked questions

What does kêu mean in English?

kêu (verb) means "to cry".

How do you pronounce kêu?

IPA: Hanoi [kew˧˧]; Saigon [kew˧˧]. Tones: kêu — 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.