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như nước đổ đầu vịt

phrase
Hanoi [ɲɨ˧˧ nɨək̚˧˦ ʔɗo˧˩ ʔɗəw˨˩ vit̚˧˨ʔ]Huế [ɲɨ˧˧ nɨək̚˦˧˥ ʔɗow˧˨ ʔɗəw˦˩ vit̚˨˩ʔ]Saigon [ɲɨ˧˧ nɨək̚˦˥ ʔɗow˨˩˦ ʔɗəw˨˩ vɨt̚˨˩˨] browser voice
Syllables · tones

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

Meanings of như nước đổ đầu vịt in English

Phrase

  1. idiomatic like water off a duck's back. ≈ như nước đổ lá khoai

Etymology

Literally, “like water poured on a duck's head”.

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce như nước đổ đầu vịt?

IPA: Hanoi [ɲɨ˧˧ nɨək̚˧˦ ʔɗo˧˩ ʔɗəw˨˩ vit̚˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [ɲɨ˧˧ nɨək̚˦˥ ʔɗow˨˩˦ ʔɗəw˨˩ vɨt̚˨˩˨]. Tones: như — level tone (ngang), nước — rising tone (sắc), đổ — dipping tone (hỏi), đầu — falling tone (huyền), vịt — heavy tone (nặng).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited. 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.