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lịch sử

Level ≈A2 (approx.) nounadjective Sino-Vietnamese Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [lïk̟̚˧˨ʔ sɨ˧˩]Huế [lɨt̚˨˩ʔ ʂɨ˧˨]Saigon [lɨt̚˨˩˨ ʂɨ˨˩˦] browser voice
Syllables · tones

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

lịch sử means history.

Chinese characters: 歷史

Meanings of lịch sử in English

Noun

  1. history (aggregate of past events; school subject) ≈ sử

Adjective

  1. historical
    • nhân vật lịch sửhistorical person
    • sự kiện lịch sửhistorical event
  2. historic
    • khoảnh khắc lịch sửhistoric moment
    • chứng nhân lịch sửhistoric witness

Example sentences with lịch sử

  • Anh ấy có nhiều sách lịch sử. He has a lot of books on history.
  • Tôi thích nghiên cứu lịch sử. I love studying history.
  • Ông ấy có nhiều sách về lịch sử. He has a lot of books on history.
  • Tôi muốn biết về lịch sử Việt Nam. I want to know about Vietnam's history.
  • Tôi chuyên về lịch sử thời Trung cổ. I specialize in medieval history.
  • Tôi thích môn lịch sử. I like history.
  • Đó là khoảnh khắc lịch sử của nước ta. That's a historical moment for our country.
  • Chúng ta có thể thay đổi lịch sử không? Can we change history?

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, lịch sử could be written as 歴史. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 歷史.

Frequently asked questions

What does lịch sử mean in English?

lịch sử (noun) means "history".

How do you pronounce lịch sử?

IPA: Hanoi [lïk̟̚˧˨ʔ sɨ˧˩]; Saigon [lɨt̚˨˩˨ ʂɨ˨˩˦]. Tones: lịch — heavy tone (nặng), sử — dipping tone (hỏi).

Is lịch sử a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. lịch sử is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 歷史.

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. Levels are approximate, estimated from word frequency. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.