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nghĩa

Level ≈A2 (approx.) noun Sino-Vietnamese Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [ŋiə˦ˀ˥]Huế [ŋiə˧˨]Saigon [ŋiə˨˩˦] browser voice
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Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →

nghĩa means a meaning; a sense.

Chinese characters: 義

Meanings of nghĩa in English

Noun

  1. a meaning; a sense
    • theo nghĩa xấuin the pejorative sense
    • Nếu từ này có nghĩa xấu, tôi sẽ không bao giờ dùng nó nữa.If this word is pejorative, I will never use it again.
  2. literary morality, decency
    • Con hổ có nghĩaThe Moral Tiger (the folkloric tiger who upheld morality by gratefully returning favors to gracious human benefactors)
  3. literary relationship; bond

Words with nghĩa

Example sentences with nghĩa

  • Cụm từ này nghĩa là gì? What's the meaning of this phrase?
  • Điều này có nghĩa là họ đang sợ. This means they're afraid.
  • Điều này có nghĩa là họ đang sợ hãi. This means they're afraid.
  • Đèn giao thông màu đỏ nghĩa là dừng lại. A red traffic light means stop.
  • Tùy theo bạn cách nghĩa sự "tin" Chúa là sao. It depends what you mean by "believe" in God.
  • Anh ấy hoàn toàn không biết từ này nghĩa là gì. He had no idea what these words meant.
  • Bạn có thể giải thích nghĩa của bài thơ này không? Can you make sense of this poem?
  • Đã lâu lắm rồi tôi chưa có một kỳ nghỉ đúng nghĩa. It's been a long time since I've had a real vacation.

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, nghĩa could be written as 𱻊. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 義. An early Sino-Vietnamese reading (ESV); the more regular reading would be nghị. Compare also Quảng Ngãi.

Frequently asked questions

What does nghĩa mean in English?

nghĩa (noun) means "a meaning; a sense".

How do you pronounce nghĩa?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋiə˦ˀ˥]; Saigon [ŋiə˨˩˦]. Tones: nghĩa — creaky rising tone (ngã).

Is nghĩa a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. nghĩa is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 義.

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.