nghĩa vụ

Level ≈B2 (approx.) noun Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [ŋiə˦ˀ˥ vu˧˨ʔ]Huế [ŋiə˧˨ vʊw˨˩ʔ]Saigon [ŋiə˨˩˦ vʊw˨˩˨] browser voice

Syllables · tones

nghĩacreaky risingngã vụheavynặng

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

nghĩa vụ means duty; responsibility; obligation.

Meanings of nghĩa vụ in English

Noun

duty; responsibility; obligation
abbreviation, colloquial short for nghĩa vụ quân sự (“military service”)

Example sentences with nghĩa vụ

Tôi có nghĩa vụ phải giải thích cho bạn. I owe you an explanation.
Cá nhân tôi cho rằng hình phạt thân thể là một nghĩa vụ bắt buộc không thể tránh khỏi. Personally, I think that corporal punishment is a necessary evil.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese, Japanese 義務 (gimu).

Frequently asked questions

What does nghĩa vụ mean in English?

nghĩa vụ (noun) means "duty; responsibility; obligation".

How do you pronounce nghĩa vụ?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋiə˦ˀ˥ vu˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [ŋiə˨˩˦ vʊw˨˩˨]. Tones: nghĩa — creaky rising tone (ngã), vụ — heavy tone (nặng).

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.