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kệ

Level ≈B1 (approx.) interjectionverbnoun Sino-Vietnamese Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [ke˧˨ʔ]Huế [kej˨˩ʔ]Saigon [kej˨˩˨] browser voice
Syllables · tones
kệheavynặng

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

kệ means whatever; screw it; what the hell.

Chinese characters: 偈

Meanings of kệ in English

Interjection

  1. whatever; screw it; what the hell

Verb

  1. informal to leave alone; to let be

Noun

  1. small shelf
    • kệ sácha bookshelf

Noun

  1. gatha

Words with kệ

mặc kệ

Example sentences with kệ

  • Cậu ấy gắn kệ sách vào tường. He fixed the bookshelf to the wall.
  • Anh ấy đã đặt cuốn sách lên kệ. He placed the book on the shelf.
  • Kệ đi. Đấy chỉ là tin đồn thôi. Ignore it. It's only a rumor.
  • Cái cốc ở trên kệ. The cup is on the shelf.
  • Trên kệ có cái cúp. The cup is on the shelf.
  • Kệ nó đi. Đó chỉ là một tin đồn. Ignore it. It's only a rumor.
  • Cậu bé quá thấp để với tới cái kệ. The boy was too short to reach the shelf.
  • Kệ nó đi. Ignore it.

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, kệ could be written as 偈, 喝, 彐. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 偈.

Frequently asked questions

What does kệ mean in English?

kệ (interjection) means "whatever; screw it; what the hell".

How do you pronounce kệ?

IPA: Hanoi [ke˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [kej˨˩˨]. Tones: kệ — heavy tone (nặng).

Is kệ a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. kệ is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 偈.

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.