lạnh lùng

Level ≈B2 (approx.) adjective Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [lajŋ̟˧˨ʔ lʊwŋ͡m˨˩]Huế [lɛɲ˨˩ʔ lʊwŋ͡m˦˩]Saigon [lan˨˩˨ lʊwŋ͡m˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

lạnhheavynặng lùngfallinghuyền

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

lạnh lùng means that's cold and causes melancholy; cold and unfriendly.

Meanings of lạnh lùng in English

Adjective

literary, of the weather that's cold and causes melancholy
of a person cold and unfriendly
- cái nhìn / ánh mắt lạnh lùnga cold look / cold eyes

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, lạnh lùng could be written as 冷𫥌, 泠㳥, 冷㳥, 冷𨓡. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

-ung reduplication (A tone) of lạnh.

Frequently asked questions

What does lạnh lùng mean in English?

lạnh lùng (adjective) means "that's cold and causes melancholy; cold and unfriendly".

How do you pronounce lạnh lùng?

IPA: Hanoi [lajŋ̟˧˨ʔ lʊwŋ͡m˨˩]; Saigon [lan˨˩˨ lʊwŋ͡m˨˩]. Tones: lạnh — heavy tone (nặng), lùng — 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. Levels are approximate, estimated from word frequency. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.