nhẽ

noun

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

Syllables · tones

nhẽcreaky risingngã

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

nhẽ means reason; rationale; argument.

Also spelled lẽ — same word, same meaning.

Meanings of nhẽ in English

Noun

reason; rationale; argument

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, nhẽ could be written as 爾, 𨤻, 𠰚, 𨤧. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 理 (“reason”, SV: lí).

Frequently asked questions

What does nhẽ mean in English?

nhẽ (noun) means "reason; rationale; argument".

How do you pronounce nhẽ?

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

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.