ngửa

Level ≈B2 (approx.) adverbverb Top 3,000 most common

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

Syllables · tones

ngửadippinghỏi

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

ngửa means face-up.

Meanings of ngửa in English

Adverb

face-up
- nằm ngửato lie face-up; to lie supine

Verb

to turn upwards
- ngửa/ngửng mặtto orientate one's face upward from its current orientation
- Ngửa mặt lên coi nào !(Stop staring at the ground and) look at me!

Synonyms and antonyms of ngửa

Antonyms

sấp

Example sentences with ngửa

Bất thần, nó té ngửa ra sau. Suddenly, he fell down on his back.
Bất thình lình, anh ấy té ngửa ra sau. Suddenly, he fell down on his back.
Tom đang nằm ngửa. Tom is lying on his back.

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, ngửa could be written as 語, 𠑕, 𫤋. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *t-ŋah (“to lie on the back”). Cognate with Chut [Rục] təŋah¹. Doublet of ngả.

Frequently asked questions

What does ngửa mean in English?

ngửa (adverb) means "face-up".

How do you pronounce ngửa?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋɨə˧˩]; Saigon [ŋɨə˨˩˦]. Tones: ngửa — 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.