ngựa

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

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

Syllables · tones

ngựaheavynặng

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

ngựa means a horse; trestle.

Classifier: con, thớt — e.g. một con ngựa (one horse)

Meanings of ngựa in English

Noun

a horse (members of the species Equus ferus)
Southern Vietnam trestle
abbreviation, colloquial short for sức ngựa (“horsepower”)

Adjective

Southern Vietnam, derogatory, figurative appearance-obssessed, showy, flashy, gaudy, flamboyant, ostentatious
- Mày ngựa lắm con ạ. Tốn bao nhiêu là tiền mua quần áo với chả mĩ phẩm.You're so appearance-obsessed. All this money you spend on clothing and cosmetics.
Southern Vietnam, dated, derogatory, figurative sexually promiscuous, prurient, lewd, lecherous, slutty
- Đừng có ngựa! Coi chừng nó lừa đấy!Don't be a trollop! Beware that he can make an ass out of you!

Words with ngựa

bọ ngựa cá ngựa cải ngựa cờ cá ngựa gấu ngựa làm trâu làm ngựa ngã ngựa ngựa trời ngựa vằn nhảy ngựa tóc đuôi ngựa vành móng ngựa xe ngựa đĩ ngựa

Idioms and sayings with ngựa

đầu trâu mặt ngựa — a thug (a criminal who treats others violently or roughly)
ngựa quen đường cũ — to lapse back into one's old ways; to relapse into vice

Example sentences with ngựa

Nó dắt ngựa của nó ra cổng. He walked his horse to the gate.
Tôi là một con ngựa Ba Lan. I'm a Polish horse.
Ở trang trại, ngựa ăn cỏ khô. On the farm, horses eat hay.
Tom ngã khỏi ngựa của mình. Tom fell off his horse.
Con ngựa đã đi đâu? Where did the horse go?
Tôi có thể cưỡi ngựa. I can ride a horse.
Tôi cũng biết cưỡi ngựa. I also know how to ride a horse.
Tom đã đi ra ngoài để cho ngựa ăn. Tom has gone out to feed the horses.

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, ngựa could be written as 馭. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *m-ŋəːʔ. See also Old Chinese 午 (OC *ŋaːʔ, “7th earthly branch; horse in the Chinese zodiac”) (ZS), Proto-Hlai *hŋaːʔ (“horse”), and Proto-Kra *ŋjaC (“horse”).

Frequently asked questions

What does ngựa mean in English?

ngựa (noun) means "a horse; trestle".

How do you pronounce ngựa?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋɨə˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [ŋɨə˨˩˨]. Tones: ngựa — heavy tone (nặng).

What classifier is used with ngựa?

Common classifiers: con, thớt — for example "một con ngựa" (one a horse).

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.