rìu

noun

Hanoi [ziw˨˩]Huế [ʐiw˦˩]Saigon [ɹiw˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

rìufallinghuyền

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

rìu means axe.

Classifier: cây, cái, chiếc — e.g. một cây rìu (one axe)

Meanings of rìu in English

Noun

axe (tool)

Words with rìu

múa rìu qua mắt thợ

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, rìu could be written as 𠠙, 𤖡, 𫿿. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *m-riːw; cognate with Muong Bi khìu. Compare Old Chinese 劉 (OC *mə-ru, “battle-axe”) (B-S).

Frequently asked questions

What does rìu mean in English?

rìu (noun) means "axe".

How do you pronounce rìu?

IPA: Hanoi [ziw˨˩]; Saigon [ɹiw˨˩]. Tones: rìu — falling tone (huyền).

What classifier is used with rìu?

Common classifiers: cây, cái, chiếc — for example "một cây rìu" (one axe).

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.