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mãi

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

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

mãi means for a long time; unceasingly; always.

Meanings of mãi in English

Adverb

  1. for a long time; unceasingly; always; all the time
    • mưa rơi mãiit kept raining nonstop
  2. until; till ≈ tận
    • Mãi hai giờ sáng mới ngủ được.It was not until two a.m. did I manage to sleep.
  3. all the way ≈ tận
    • Nhà tôi ở mãi bên kia sông.My house is all the way on the other side of the river.

Words with mãi

mãi mãimãi dâm

Example sentences with mãi

  • Phò thì vẫn mãi là phò thôi! A cunt remains a cunt!
  • Điếm thì vẫn mãi là điếm thôi! A cunt remains a cunt!
  • Tôi đợi mãi, cuối cùng, John đã tới. I waited forever, and finally, John came.
  • Tôi không muốn sống mãi trong thành phố. I don’t want to live in the city forever.
  • Đã là đĩ thì vẫn mãi là đĩ thôi! A cunt remains a cunt!
  • Mãi yêu bạn. Love you forever.
  • Không có tao, mày sẽ mãi không là cái gì cả. Without me, you'd still be nobodies.
  • Tôi cố về sớm rồi mà mọi người cứ nhờ tôi giúp mãi thôi. I tried to leave early, but people kept asking me for help.

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, mãi could be written as 𫡠. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Frequently asked questions

What does mãi mean in English?

mãi (adverb) means "for a long time; unceasingly; always".

How do you pronounce mãi?

IPA: Hanoi [maːj˦ˀ˥]; Saigon [maːj˨˩˦]. Tones: mãi — creaky rising tone (ngã).

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.