ngần ngại

Level ≈B2 (approx.) verb Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [ŋən˨˩ ŋaːj˧˨ʔ]Huế [ŋəŋ˦˩ ŋaːj˨˩ʔ]Saigon [ŋəŋ˨˩ ŋaːj˨˩˨] browser voice

Syllables · tones

ngầnfallinghuyền ngạiheavynặng

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

ngần ngại means to hesitate; to hold back; to be reluctant.

Meanings of ngần ngại in English

Verb

to hesitate (to); to hold back (from); to be reluctant (to)

Example sentences with ngần ngại

Tom đã ngần ngại. Tom hesitated.

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

Etymology

ngần + ngại.

Frequently asked questions

What does ngần ngại mean in English?

ngần ngại (verb) means "to hesitate; to hold back; to be reluctant".

How do you pronounce ngần ngại?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋən˨˩ ŋaːj˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [ŋəŋ˨˩ ŋaːj˨˩˨]. Tones: ngần — falling tone (huyền), ngại — 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.