mù chữ

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

Hanoi [mu˨˩ t͡ɕɨ˦ˀ˥]Huế [mʊw˦˩ t͡ɕɨ˧˨]Saigon [mʊw˨˩ cɨ˨˩˦] browser voice

Syllables · tones

mùfallinghuyền chữcreaky risingngã

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

mù chữ means illiterate.

Meanings of mù chữ in English

Adjective

illiterate (unable to read and write)

Example sentences with mù chữ

Tôi không phải người mù chữ. I'm not illiterate.
Nhiều người trong khu vực đấy bị mù chữ. Many people in that area are illiterate.
Tôi bị mù chữ. I am illiterate.
Tỉ lệ mù chữ của đất nước đấy là 36%. The percentage of illiteracy in that country is 36%.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Etymology

mù (“blind”) + chữ (“letter; character; word”). Compare Chinese 文盲 (wénmáng, literally “writing-blind”).

Frequently asked questions

What does mù chữ mean in English?

mù chữ (adjective) means "illiterate".

How do you pronounce mù chữ?

IPA: Hanoi [mu˨˩ t͡ɕɨ˦ˀ˥]; Saigon [mʊw˨˩ cɨ˨˩˦]. Tones: mù — falling tone (huyền), chữ — 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.