ngã ngửa

verb

Hanoi [ŋaː˦ˀ˥ ŋɨə˧˩]Huế [ŋaː˧˨ ŋɨə˧˨]Saigon [ŋaː˨˩˦ ŋɨə˨˩˦] browser voice

Syllables · tones

ngãcreaky risingngã ngửadippinghỏi

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

ngã ngửa means to get extremely surprised; due to the unexpected.

Meanings of ngã ngửa in English

Verb

to get extremely surprised, due to the unexpected. ≈ hớp hồn
- Cả giáo xứ ngã ngửa trước tin vị linh mục ấy vừa qua đời.The entire fellow was astonished by the announcement of the priest's very death.

Frequently asked questions

What does ngã ngửa mean in English?

ngã ngửa (verb) means "to get extremely surprised; due to the unexpected".

How do you pronounce ngã ngửa?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋaː˦ˀ˥ ŋɨə˧˩]; Saigon [ŋaː˨˩˦ ŋɨə˨˩˦]. Tones: ngã — creaky rising tone (ngã), ngửa — dipping tone (hỏi).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited. IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.