kim

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

Hanoi [kim˧˧]Huế [kim˧˧]Saigon [kim˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

kimlevelngang

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

kim means needle; hand.

Chinese characters: 金 Classifier: cây — e.g. một cây kim (one needle)

Meanings of kim in English

Noun

needle
of a clock/watch hand

Noun

metal, one of the Wu Xing

Words with kim

Example sentences with kim

Có công mài sắt có ngày nên kim. Practice makes perfect.

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, kim could be written as 針. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 金 (“metal; gold”).

Frequently asked questions

What does kim mean in English?

kim (noun) means "needle; hand".

How do you pronounce kim?

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

Is kim a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. kim is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 金.

What classifier is used with kim?

Common classifiers: cây — for example "một cây kim" (one needle).

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.