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ngay

Level ≈A1 (approx.) adjectivepreposition Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [ŋaj˧˧]Huế [ŋaj˧˧]Saigon [ŋa(ː)j˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
ngaylevelngang

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

ngay means right away; immediately; straight.

Meanings of ngay in English

Adjective

  1. direct; straight
    • cây ngaya straight tree
    • Ngồi ngay lên nào!Come on, sit up straight!
  2. as soon as, straight away
    • ngay khias soon as
  3. literary honest

Preposition

  1. abbreviation short for ngay cạnh (“right by, right beside”)
    • Nhà nó ở ngay cầu lớn.His house is right beside the big bridge.

Words with ngay

ngay cảngay cạnhngay lập tứcngay ngắnngay thẳngngay thậtngay và luônngay ngáy

Idioms and sayings with ngay

  • tình ngay lí gian — when one's actions or results are objectively detrimental despite good intention

Example sentences with ngay

  • Tôi đã xin lỗi ngay lúc đó. I apologized immediately.
  • Tớ nghĩ cậu nên về nhà ngay. I think you need to go home now.
  • Tôi sống ở ngay nhà ga metro. I live right by the metro station.
  • Tom xỉu ngay khi thấy kim tiêm. Tom fainted as soon as he saw the needle.
  • Rẽ phải ngay sau đèn giao thông. Turn right after the traffic lights.
  • Tom đang đứng ngay bên cạnh Mary. Tom is standing right next to Mary.
  • Cô ta sẽ có mặt ngay. She will be here in no time.
  • Bạn sẽ kịp xe lửa nếu đi ngay. You will be in time for the train if you start at once.

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, ngay could be written as 宜, 𣦍, 𬆄. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *t-ŋar (“straight”). Cognate with Muong Bi ngăl, Chut [Rục] təŋal¹.

Frequently asked questions

What does ngay mean in English?

ngay (adjective) means "right away; immediately; straight".

How do you pronounce ngay?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋaj˧˧]; Saigon [ŋa(ː)j˧˧]. Tones: ngay — level tone (ngang).

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.