kẹt

Level ≈B2 (approx.) adjectiveverb Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [kɛt̚˧˨ʔ]Huế [kɛt̚˨˩ʔ]Saigon [kɛk̚˨˩˨] browser voice

Syllables · tones

kẹtheavynặng

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

kẹt means be stuck.

Meanings of kẹt in English

Adjective

be stuck

Verb

to be stuck
Southern Vietnam to be busy

Words with kẹt

kẹt xe mắc kẹt

Example sentences with kẹt

Chúng tôi bị kẹt lại với nhau. We're stuck with each other.

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, kẹt could be written as 搩, 桀, 磔. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Frequently asked questions

What does kẹt mean in English?

kẹt (adjective) means "be stuck".

How do you pronounce kẹt?

IPA: Hanoi [kɛt̚˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [kɛk̚˨˩˨]. Tones: kẹt — heavy tone (nặng).

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.