mắm

nounverb

Hanoi [mam˧˦]Huế [mam˦˧˥]Saigon [mam˦˥] browser voice

Syllables · tones

mắmrisingsắc

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

mắm means Vietnamese salted; fermented fish or shrimp.

Meanings of mắm in English

Noun

Vietnamese salted, fermented fish or shrimp
abbreviation clipping of nước mắm (“fish sauce”)

Noun

Southern Vietnam, endearing, familiar, humorous girl; girlie ≈ nhỏ cái

Verb

in some expressions, of lips to tighten ≈ mím

Noun

Avicennia

Words with mắm

bún mắm liệu cơm gắp mắm mắm muối mắm nhĩ mắm ruốc mắm sặc mắm sặt mắm tôm nước mắm thêm mắm thêm muối

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, mắm could be written as 𩻐. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *ɓamʔ (“salted fish”). Compare Tày bẳm, from an earlier form of Vietnamese.

Frequently asked questions

What does mắm mean in English?

mắm (noun) means "Vietnamese salted; fermented fish or shrimp".

How do you pronounce mắm?

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

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited. 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.