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nợ

Level ≈A2 (approx.) nounverb Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [nəː˧˨ʔ]Huế [nəː˨˩ʔ]Saigon [nəː˨˩˨] browser voice
Syllables · tones
nợheavynặng

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

nợ means debt.

Meanings of nợ in English

Noun

  1. debt

Verb

  1. to owe

Words with nợ

con nợduyên nợnợ máunợ nầnnợ như chúa Chổm

Example sentences with nợ

  • Bạn nợ anh ta cái gì thế? What do you owe him?
  • Bạn nợ ông ta cái gì đấy? What do you owe him?
  • Tôi nợ bạn một lời xin lỗi. I really owe you an apology.
  • Mày nợ thằng đó cái gì thế? What do you owe him?
  • Tôi nợ bạn một lời giải thích. I owe you an explanation.
  • Tao nợ nó 100 đô la. I owe him $100.
  • Bạn nợ anh ta cái gì? What do you owe him?
  • Bạn nợ ông ta cái gì? What do you owe him?

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, nợ could be written as 女, 𡢻, 𦬑, 𧴱. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *b-rn-əːʔ, the -(r)n-infixed form of *bəːʔ (whence bợ (“to borrow money, to pawn”)). Cognate with Chut [Mày] panɯ⁴ (Babaev & Samarina, 2018).

Frequently asked questions

What does nợ mean in English?

nợ (noun) means "debt".

How do you pronounce nợ?

IPA: Hanoi [nəː˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [nəː˨˩˨]. Tones: nợ — heavy tone (nặng).

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.