ko
adverbadjectivenoun Sino-Vietnamese
browser voice
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
ko means not at all.
Also spelled không — same word, same meaning.
Chinese characters: 空
Meanings of ko in English
Adverb
- Negates the meaning of the modified verb or adjective: not
- Tôi không phải là người Việt.I am not a Vietnamese.
- not at all ≈ chẳng
- Màu nó không phải đỏ, mà là xanh.It is not red but actually green.
- idly; without doing anything else
- colloquial at a level that feels like nothing at all
- Việc dễ không mà cũng không làm được.It was a piece of cake, but you just can't even get it done.
Adjective
- only, without anything else
- cơm khôngonly rice
- empty ≈ trống
- vườn không nhà trốngscorched earth
- in compounds air; space; nothing
Noun
- the intangible, non-material aspect
Interjection
- to an affirmative question no
- to a negative question yes
- Mày không đi à? — Không, tao không đi.You're not coming? — Yes, I'm not coming.
Conjunction
- or else
- Mặc áo vào đi, không là ốm đấy.You'll catch a cold unless you put these clothes on.
Particle
- Used to form polar questions, placed at the end of a question
- Anh ấy đang chạy đúng/phải không?He is running, isn't he?
- Bạn chưa làm phải không?You haven't done anything, have you?
- Có ai ở nhà không (ạ)?Anybody home?
- Used as an answer of refutation to a polar question: no
- Bạn có phải là người Anh không? Không, tôi không/chả phải (là người Anh).Are you British? No, I'm not.
Numeral
- cardinal number zero
- hai nghìn không trăm lẻ mộttwo thousand and one
Synonyms and antonyms of ko
Antonyms
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 空 (“empty, nothing, none”). This is now the main negator in Vietnamese and, in formal writing, virtually the only negator; however, see the list of other negators at the end of the entry.
Frequently asked questions
What does ko mean in English?
ko (adverb) means "not at all".
How do you pronounce ko?
Tones: ko — level tone (ngang).
Is ko a Sino-Vietnamese word?
Yes. ko is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 空.