mẫu giáo

noun

Hanoi [məw˦ˀ˥ zaːw˧˦]Huế [məw˧˨ jaːw˨˩˦]Saigon [məw˨˩˦ jaːw˦˥] browser voice

Syllables · tones

mẫucreaky risingngã giáorisingsắc

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

mẫu giáo means kindergarten.

Meanings of mẫu giáo in English

Noun

kindergarten

Example sentences with mẫu giáo

Tôi có thể vẽ khá tốt hồi lúc tôi bắt đầu học mẫu giáo. I could draw fairly well by the time I began kindergarten.

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

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 姆 (“child's governess”) and 教 (“teaching”). Compare French (école) maternelle (literally “maternal (school)”).

Frequently asked questions

What does mẫu giáo mean in English?

mẫu giáo (noun) means "kindergarten".

How do you pronounce mẫu giáo?

IPA: Hanoi [məw˦ˀ˥ zaːw˧˦]; Saigon [məw˨˩˦ jaːw˦˥]. Tones: mẫu — creaky rising tone (ngã), giáo — 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. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.