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nghỉ

Level ≈A1 (approx.) verbpronounadverb Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [ŋi˧˩]Huế [ŋɪj˧˨]Saigon [ŋɪj˨˩˦] browser voice
Syllables · tones
nghỉdippinghỏi

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

nghỉ means to take a break.

Meanings of nghỉ in English

Verb

  1. to take a break
  2. to get to temporarily leave work (e.g., for holiday/vacation, for pregnancy, etc.)
    • kì nghỉholiday period
  3. euphemistic, figurative to die

Pronoun

  1. archaic, literary he; him
  2. archaic, literary she; her

Adverb

  1. obsolete (before verb) by oneself

Words with nghỉ

an nghỉngày nghỉnghỉ dưỡngnghỉ hènghỉ hưunghỉ lễnghỉ mátnghỉ ngơinghỉ phépnghỉ việcnhà nghỉyên nghỉ

Example sentences with nghỉ

  • Bạn ấy nghỉ học vì bị ốm. She was absent from school because of sickness.
  • Anh ấy thuê xe cho kì nghỉ. He rented a car for the holiday.
  • Bây giờ họ đang trong giờ nghỉ. They’re off duty now.
  • Tôi sẽ chiến đấu không ngừng nghỉ. I will fight without rest.
  • Tôi nghỉ tôi sẽ đi ngủ. I think I'm gonna go to sleep.
  • Kỳ nghỉ từ đây kết thúc. The vacation is over now.
  • Anh ấy nghỉ học một tuần. He stayed away from school for a week.
  • Tôi sẽ nghỉ một vài ngày. I will rest for a few days.

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, nghỉ could be written as 𢪀, 擬, 忋, 𱎢. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

The earlier meaning is "easy", as seen in Hồng Đức quốc âm thi tập (洪德國音詩集, 15th century) and Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651). The current meaning "to rest, to take a break" probably developed from "to take it easy".

Frequently asked questions

What does nghỉ mean in English?

nghỉ (verb) means "to take a break".

How do you pronounce nghỉ?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋi˧˩]; Saigon [ŋɪj˨˩˦]. Tones: nghỉ — 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.