lề

noun Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [le˨˩]Huế [lej˦˩]Saigon [lej˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

lềfallinghuyền

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

lề means margin; edge.

Meanings of lề in English

Noun

margin; edge
abbreviation short for lề đường (“shoulder of lề đường (“shoulder of road”)

Noun

obsolete, in isolation custom; habit

Words with lề

đồ lề lề lối lề mề lề đường

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

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

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 例 (SV: lệ).

Frequently asked questions

What does lề mean in English?

lề (noun) means "margin; edge".

How do you pronounce lề?

IPA: Hanoi [le˨˩]; Saigon [lej˨˩]. Tones: lề — 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.