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nhau

Level ≈A1 (approx.) adverbnoun Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [ɲaw˧˧]Huế [ɲaw˧˧]Saigon [ɲa(ː)w˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
nhaulevelngang

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

nhau means each other; mutually; reciprocally.

Meanings of nhau in English

Adverb

  1. each other, mutually, reciprocally, one another ≈ chắc
    • yêu nhauto love each other
    • cùng nhauwith each other; together
  2. together

Noun

  1. placenta, afterbirth

Words with nhau

cùng nhau

Idioms and sayings with nhau

Example sentences with nhau

  • Bố mẹ tôi lại đang cãi nhau. My parents are arguing again.
  • Tom và Mary đổ lỗi cho nhau. Tom and Mary blamed each other.
  • Bây giờ thì họ cao bằng nhau. They are of the same height now.
  • Hai bạn quen nhau như thế nào? How did you two become acquainted?
  • Số phận chúng mình đan vào nhau. Our fates are interwoven.
  • Một số người trông rất giống nhau. Some of these people look a lot like each other.
  • Chúng ta không gặp nhau hằng ngày. We don't see each other everyday.
  • Chúng tôi không gặp nhau hằng ngày. We don't see each other everyday.

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, nhau could be written as 饒, 僥, 𠑬, 𬼀. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 𬼀, the abbreviated form of 饒 (MC nyew) (modern SV: nhiêu). Attested as nhau, dau (“each other”), in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

Frequently asked questions

What does nhau mean in English?

nhau (adverb) means "each other; mutually; reciprocally".

How do you pronounce nhau?

IPA: Hanoi [ɲaw˧˧]; Saigon [ɲa(ː)w˧˧]. Tones: nhau — 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.