sài

nounverb Sino-Vietnamese

Hanoi [saːj˨˩]Huế [ʂaːj˦˩]Saigon [ʂaːj˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

sàifallinghuyền

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

sài means children's lasting and serious disease.

Chinese characters: 柴

Meanings of sài in English

Noun

children's lasting and serious disease

Verb

Southern Vietnam, colloquial to use; to spend ≈ dùng tiêu xài

Noun

obsolete firewood, brushwood

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 柴.

Frequently asked questions

What does sài mean in English?

sài (noun) means "children's lasting and serious disease".

How do you pronounce sài?

IPA: Hanoi [saːj˨˩]; Saigon [ʂaːj˨˩]. Tones: sài — falling tone (huyền).

Is sài a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. sài is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 柴.

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.