nội thành
adverb
Hanoi [noj˧˨ʔ tʰajŋ̟˨˩]Huế [noj˨˩ʔ tʰɛɲ˦˩]Saigon [noj˨˩˨ tʰan˨˩] browser voice
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
Meanings of nội thành in English
Adverb
- within the borders of a thành phố trực thuộc trung ương or a thành phố trực thuộc tỉnh
- gọi nội thànhto make an in-city call
Etymology
Blend of nội- (“inside”) + thành phố (“city”). An apparent "Sino-Vietnamese" construction that is syntactically ill-formed per Classical Chinese, since it implies "inner city" rather than "inside a city", but, however, aligns with the grammatical Vietnamese construction trong thành phố. A well-formed Sino-Vietnamese construction would be *thành nội. Compare Japanese 城内 (jōnai, thành nội, “inside the castle in question”).
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce nội thành?
IPA: Hanoi [noj˧˨ʔ tʰajŋ̟˨˩]; Saigon [noj˨˩˨ tʰan˨˩]. Tones: nội — heavy tone (nặng), thành — falling tone (huyền).