lì

adjective

Hanoi [li˨˩]Huế [lɪj˦˩]Saigon [lɪj˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

lìfallinghuyền

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

lì means polished; smooth.

Meanings of lì in English

Adjective

polished, smooth
motionless
- ở lìto stay put
brassy, impudent

Words with lì

chai lì gan lì lầm lì lì lợm phẳng lì lì xì

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, lì could be written as 離. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Frequently asked questions

What does lì mean in English?

lì (adjective) means "polished; smooth".

How do you pronounce lì?

IPA: Hanoi [li˨˩]; Saigon [lɪj˨˩]. Tones: lì — falling tone (huyền).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited. IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.