mài

Level ≈B2 (approx.) verbpronoun Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [maːj˨˩]Huế [maːj˦˩]Saigon [maːj˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

màifallinghuyền

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

mài means to grind.

Meanings of mài in English

Verb

to grind (to remove material by rubbing with an abrasive surface)

Pronoun

Internet slang alternative form of mày (“you”)

Words with mài

đá mài miệt mài mài mòn

Example sentences with mài

Anh ấy lúc đó đang mài dao. He was sharpening a knife.
Có công mài sắt có ngày nên kim. Practice makes perfect.

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, mài could be written as 磨, 埋, 𥓄, 𥕄. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Derived from Old Chinese 磨 (OC *mˤaj) (B-S) (SV: ma).

Frequently asked questions

What does mài mean in English?

mài (verb) means "to grind".

How do you pronounce mài?

IPA: Hanoi [maːj˨˩]; Saigon [maːj˨˩]. Tones: mài — 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.