lạy

verb

Hanoi [laj˧˨ʔ]Huế [laj˨˩ʔ]Saigon [la(ː)j˨˩˨] browser voice

Syllables · tones

lạyheavynặng

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

lạy means to kowtow.

Meanings of lạy in English

Verb

to kowtow
- Trời ơi tao lạy luôn!(informal) God, I'm begging you. / Oh my gosh, you're kidding me.

Words with lạy

lạy hồn

Example sentences with lạy

Lạy Cha chúng con đang ở trên trời. Our Father who art in heaven.

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, lạy could be written as 礼, 𥛉. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 禮 (SV: lễ).

Frequently asked questions

What does lạy mean in English?

lạy (verb) means "to kowtow".

How do you pronounce lạy?

IPA: Hanoi [laj˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [la(ː)j˨˩˨]. Tones: lạy — heavy tone (nặng).

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. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.