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ngớ ngẩn

Level ≈B1 (approx.) adjective Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [ŋəː˧˦ ŋən˧˩]Huế [ŋəː˨˩˦ ŋəŋ˧˨]Saigon [ŋəː˦˥ ŋəŋ˨˩˦] browser voice
Syllables · tones
ngớrisingsắcngẩndippinghỏi

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

ngớ ngẩn means silly; absurd; foolish.

Meanings of ngớ ngẩn in English

Adjective

  1. silly, absurd, foolish; out of one's senses; vacant
    • bộ mặt ngớ ngẩna silly-looking face (staring blankly without understanding what's happening)

Example sentences with ngớ ngẩn

  • Cái mũ này trông thật ngớ ngẩn. This hat looks ridiculous.
  • Tôi cần hỏi một câu hỏi ngớ ngẩn. I need to ask you a silly question.
  • Con người thật ngớ ngẩn. Humans are silly.
  • Tôi cần hỏi bạn 1 câu hỏi ngớ ngẩn. I need to ask you a silly question.
  • Tôi nghĩ những gì bạn làm thật ngớ ngẩn. I think that what you're doing is stupid.
  • Tôi không thể chịu được cái thứ âm nhạc ngớ ngẩn đó. I can not stand that kind of silly music.

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, ngớ ngẩn could be written as 魚謹, 𡂂謹. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Compound of ngớ (“to be stunned, freeze”) + ngẩn (“dazed, struck dumb”).

Frequently asked questions

What does ngớ ngẩn mean in English?

ngớ ngẩn (adjective) means "silly; absurd; foolish".

How do you pronounce ngớ ngẩn?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋəː˧˦ ŋən˧˩]; Saigon [ŋəː˦˥ ŋəŋ˨˩˦]. Tones: ngớ — rising tone (sắc), ngẩn — dipping tone (hỏi).

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.