nam châm

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

Hanoi [naːm˧˧ t͡ɕəm˧˧]Huế [naːm˧˧ t͡ɕəm˧˧]Saigon [naːm˧˧ cəm˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

namlevelngang châmlevelngang

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

nam châm means a magnet.

Chinese characters: 南針 (南 “south” + 針 “needle”) Classifier: cái, chiếc, cục — e.g. một cái nam châm (one magnet)

Meanings of nam châm in English

Noun

a magnet (piece of material that attracts some metals by magnetism)

Example sentences with nam châm

Trái đất giống như một quả banh với một cái nam châm to ở giữa. The earth is like a ball with a big magnet in it.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 南針, composed of 南 (“south”) and 針 (“needle”), from Chinese 指南針 /指南针 (chỉ nam châm, “compass”, literally “southward needle”). In Chinese philosophy, south is a "yang" direction and thus more dominant than north.

Frequently asked questions

What does nam châm mean in English?

nam châm (noun) means "a magnet".

How do you pronounce nam châm?

IPA: Hanoi [naːm˧˧ t͡ɕəm˧˧]; Saigon [naːm˧˧ cəm˧˧]. Tones: nam — level tone (ngang), châm — level tone (ngang).

Is nam châm a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. nam châm is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 南針.

What classifier is used with nam châm?

Common classifiers: cái, chiếc, cục — for example "một cái nam châm" (one a magnet).

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.