khoai
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
khoai means yam; penis.
Meanings of khoai in English
Noun
- yam
- vulgar penis
Adjective
- colloquial difficult; hard
- Phần này khá là khoai đây.This part seems pretty difficult.
Words with khoai
Idioms and sayings with khoai
- như nước đổ lá khoai — like water off a duck's back.
- ra môn ra khoai — to do something with clear results
Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)
Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, khoai could be written as 芌, 𧃷, 䓙, 𬞲. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Etymology
Borrowed from a Khmuic language, compare Mal kʰwaːj, or directly descended from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kwaaj (“yam”). The first scenario is more likely, but it is also possible that this now mainstream Vietnamese word is an internal borrowing, originated from the North Central region (where secondary aspiration frequently occurs) and replaced the Northern form without aspiration: it was spelt as 䓙 (phonetic 乖 (MC kweaj), SV reading quai) in a poem by Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, a native of Northern Vietnam, while later works use various characters that clearly show aspiration.
Frequently asked questions
What does khoai mean in English?
khoai (noun) means "yam; penis".
How do you pronounce khoai?
IPA: Hanoi [xwaːj˧˧]; Saigon [kʰwaːj˧˧]. Tones: khoai — level tone (ngang).
What classifier is used with khoai?
Common classifiers: củ — for example "một củ khoai" (one yam).