ngoái

verb

Hanoi [ŋwaːj˧˦]Huế [ŋwaːj˨˩˦]Saigon [ŋwaːj˦˥] browser voice

Syllables · tones

ngoáirisingsắc

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

ngoái means to turn round.

Meanings of ngoái in English

Verb

to turn (one's head) round

Words with ngoái

năm ngoái

Example sentences with ngoái

Tom ngoái lại nhìn xem Mary có còn đi theo anh không. Tom looked over his shoulder to see if Mary was still following him.

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, ngoái could be written as 外, 𢫑, 𩠘. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Frequently asked questions

What does ngoái mean in English?

ngoái (verb) means "to turn round".

How do you pronounce ngoái?

IPA: Hanoi [ŋwaːj˧˦]; Saigon [ŋwaːj˦˥]. Tones: ngoái — rising tone (sắc).

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. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.