nhai

Level ≈B1 (approx.) verb Top 3,000 most common

Hanoi [ɲaːj˧˧]Huế [ɲaːj˧˧]Saigon [ɲaːj˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

nhailevelngang

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

nhai means to chew; to masticate; to ruminate.

Meanings of nhai in English

Verb

to chew; to masticate; to ruminate

Words with nhai

nhai lại

Example sentences with nhai

Tôi gap kho khan khi nhai. I have difficulty chewing.
Tay làm hàm nhai, tay quai miệng trễ. He who does not work, does not have the right to eat.
Tôi đã nhai kẹo gum. I chewed the gum.
Tôi nhai kẹo cao su. I chewed the gum.
Không được nhai kẹo cao su trong lớp học. Chewing gum isn't allowed in the classroom.
Tom nhai thuốc lá. Tom chews tobacco.

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, nhai could be written as 啀, 涯. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *-ɲaːj. Compare Mon သ္ၚဲာ (hài, “to chew”), Nyah Kur khəɲàaj.

Frequently asked questions

What does nhai mean in English?

nhai (verb) means "to chew; to masticate; to ruminate".

How do you pronounce nhai?

IPA: Hanoi [ɲaːj˧˧]; Saigon [ɲaːj˧˧]. Tones: nhai — level tone (ngang).

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.