le
nounverbadverb
Hanoi [lɛ˧˧]Huế [lɛ˧˧]Saigon [lɛ˧˧] browser voice
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
Classifier: cây — e.g. một cây le
Meanings of le in English
Noun
- a plant in the rice family, which grows in forests and has a shape similar to bamboo
Noun
- obsolete lesser whistling duck
Verb
- Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam alternative form of lè (“to loll (tongue); to put out”)
Adverb
- rare alternative form of lè (“very”)
Conjunction
- archaic but; however
Words with le
Example sentences with le
- Tôi viết cho Erwan Le Bourdonnec. I write to Erwan Le Bourdonnec.
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, le could be written as 离, 𪅆, 離. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Etymology
From Proto-Vietic *k-lɛː (“bamboo”). Doublet of tre.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce le?
IPA: Hanoi [lɛ˧˧]; Saigon [lɛ˧˧]. Tones: le — level tone (ngang).
What classifier is used with le?
Common classifiers: cây — for example "một cây le" (one le).