mặt nạ

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

Hanoi [mat̚˧˨ʔ naː˧˨ʔ]Huế [mak̚˨˩ʔ naː˨˩ʔ]Saigon [mak̚˨˩˨ naː˨˩˨] browser voice

Syllables · tones

mặtheavynặng nạheavynặng

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

mặt nạ means mask.

Classifier: cái, chiếc — e.g. một cái mặt nạ (one mask)

Meanings of mặt nạ in English

Noun

mask (cover for the face)
mask (that which disguises)

Example sentences with mặt nạ

Tom đã tháo mặt nạ ra rồi đấy. Tom took his mask off.

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, mặt nạ could be written as 𩈘𩈩. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

mặt (“face”) + nạ. The latter syllable is of Tai origin; compare Proto-Tai *ʰnaːꟲ (“face”) (whence Thai หน้า (nâa), Lao ໜ້າ (nā)).

Frequently asked questions

What does mặt nạ mean in English?

mặt nạ (noun) means "mask".

How do you pronounce mặt nạ?

IPA: Hanoi [mat̚˧˨ʔ naː˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [mak̚˨˩˨ naː˨˩˨]. Tones: mặt — heavy tone (nặng), nạ — heavy tone (nặng).

What classifier is used with mặt nạ?

Common classifiers: cái, chiếc — for example "một cái mặt nạ" (one mask).

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.