mau

Level ≈B1 (approx.) adjectiveadverb Top 3,000 most common

Hanoi [maw˧˧]Huế [maw˧˧]Saigon [ma(ː)w˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

maulevelngang

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

mau means fast; quick.

Meanings of mau in English

Adjective

fast, quick
dense

Adverb

fast, quickly ≈ nhanh

Words with mau

mau chóng mau mắn mau nước mắt

Example sentences with mau

Hãy mau về nhà đi. Hurry home.
Mau rời khỏi đây. Cảnh sát tới bây giờ. We're getting out of here. The cops are coming.
Cháy! Chạy mau! Fire! Run!
Mau lên! Hurry up.

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, mau could be written as 毛, 㕰, 𣭻, 牟. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Cognate with Muong bau (“dense, thick”), Chut [Cuối Chăm] baw¹ and Arem ubaw ("thick").

Frequently asked questions

What does mau mean in English?

mau (adjective) means "fast; quick".

How do you pronounce mau?

IPA: Hanoi [maw˧˧]; Saigon [ma(ː)w˧˧]. Tones: mau — level tone (ngang).

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.