TuDien.NgonNguViet.comVietnamese ⇄ English dictionary

mái

Level ≈A2 (approx.) adjectivenounclassifier Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [maːj˧˦]Huế [maːj˨˩˦]Saigon [maːj˦˥] browser voice
Syllables · tones
máirisingsắc

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

mái means female.

Meanings of mái in English

Adjective

  1. of a bird female
    • gà máia hen
  2. including cetaceans female
    • cá heo mái/cáia female dolphin

Noun

  1. roof
  2. bangs; fringe
    • mái ngốblunt bangs

Classifier

  1. indicates all of someone's headhair
    • mái tóc bóng mượtshiny and silky hair

Words with mái

sống máimái ấmmái chèomái ngốmái vòm

Synonyms and antonyms of mái

Antonyms

trống

Example sentences with mái

  • Mary có một mái tóc rất dài. Mary has very long hair.
  • Nhìn con mèo trên mái nhà đi. Look at that cat on the roof.
  • Mary có mái tóc đen tuyệt đẹp. Mary has beautiful dark hair.
  • Lidia có mái tóc thẳng màu vàng. Lidia has straight blonde hair.
  • Tom đang ở trên mái nhà. Tom is on the roof.
  • Tom đã trèo lên mái nhà. Tom climbed up to the roof.
  • Mái dột mỗi khi trời mưa. The roof leaks every time it rains.
  • Anh ấy có một mái tóc rất mỏng. He has a very fine hair.

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, mái could be written as 買, 㜥, 𠃅, 𡣧. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *meːʔ, from Proto-Austroasiatic *meʔ (“mother”). Doublet of mẹ.

Frequently asked questions

What does mái mean in English?

mái (adjective) means "female".

How do you pronounce mái?

IPA: Hanoi [maːj˧˦]; Saigon [maːj˦˥]. Tones: mái — rising tone (sắc).

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.