ngắn

Level ≈A2 (approx.) adjective Top 1,000 most common

Hanoi [ŋan˧˦]Huế [ŋaŋ˦˧˥]Saigon [ŋaŋ˦˥] browser voice

Syllables · tones

ngắnrisingsắc

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

Meanings of ngắn in English

Adjective

short or brief in terms of length or duration
- giường ngắna short bed
- thời gian ngắna short period of time

Words with ngắn

ngắn gọn ngắn hạn ngắn ngủi ngắn ngủn nhập thành ngắn súng ngắn truyện ngắn

Synonyms and antonyms of ngắn

Antonyms

dài

Example sentences with ngắn

Thỏ có tai dài và đuôi ngắn. A rabbit has long ears and a short tail.
Câu ngắn dễ dịch hơn câu dài. Short sentences are easier to translate than long ones.
Cô ấy thường để tóc ngắn. She usually wears short hair.
Ngày lại bắt đầu ngắn lại. The day is beginning to shorten.
Tôi thích những bài thơ ngắn. I like short poems.
Đây là tuyến đường ngắn nhất. This is the shortest route.
Mẹ tôi không cho tôi mặc váy ngắn. My mother didn't let me wear a miniskirt.
Tôi muốn cắt tóc ngắn. I want to cut my hair short.

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, ngắn could be written as 艮, 𠦯, 𥐇, 𥐉. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Cognate with Arem ŋanˀ ("low").

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce ngắn?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋan˧˦]; Saigon [ŋaŋ˦˥]. Tones: ngắn — rising tone (sắc).

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.