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lời

Level ≈A1 (approx.) nounclassifier Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [ləːj˨˩]Huế [ləːj˦˩]Saigon [ləːj˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones
lờifallinghuyền

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

lời means word; utterances.

Meanings of lời in English

Noun

  1. word; utterances
  2. words; lyrics
    • lời bài hátsong lyrics
  3. a verse
    • lời 1verse 1; the first verse

Noun

  1. profit, interest

Classifier

  1. indicates utterances
    • một lời hứaa promise

Noun

  1. dated alternative form of trời (“sky; heaven”)

Words with lời

lời hứalời lẽlời nóimở lờitrả lờilời lãilời khuyênlời chàolời tênlời tựa

Example sentences with lời

  • Cô ấy đã không nói nên lời. Words failed her.
  • Tôi nợ bạn một lời xin lỗi. I really owe you an apology.
  • Tôi cần lời chỉ bảo của bạn. I need your advice.
  • Bạn nên làm theo lời bác sĩ. You should follow the doctor's advice.
  • Tom yêu cầu một lời xin lỗi. Tom demanded an apology.
  • Tom chối bỏ mọi lời cáo buộc. Tom denied all the charges.
  • Cảm ơn lời giải thích của bạn. Thanks for your explanation.
  • Tôi nợ bạn một lời giải thích. I owe you an explanation.

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, lời could be written as 𡗶, 𠳒, 唎, 𢈱. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 𠅜, the simplified composition of 麻 (MC mae) + 例 (MC ljejH) (modern SV: ma lệ), and 例 (MC ljejH) (modern SV: lệ). Attested as mlời in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

Frequently asked questions

What does lời mean in English?

lời (noun) means "word; utterances".

How do you pronounce lời?

IPA: Hanoi [ləːj˨˩]; Saigon [ləːj˨˩]. Tones: lời — falling tone (huyền).

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.