sam

Level ≈B2 (approx.) noun Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [saːm˧˧]Huế [ʂaːm˧˧]Saigon [ʂaːm˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

samlevelngang

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

sam means a horseshoe crab.

Classifier: con — e.g. một con sam (one horseshoe crab)

Meanings of sam in English

Noun

a horseshoe crab
- đuôi sama horseshoe crab's tail; a braid/plait

Noun

common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) ≈ rau sam

Example sentences with sam

Sam là ông chủ của công ty anh ấy. Sam is the boss of his company.

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, sam could be written as 杉, 衫, 𧏰, 𧓰. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Highly unlikely due to irregular sound change.

Frequently asked questions

What does sam mean in English?

sam (noun) means "a horseshoe crab".

How do you pronounce sam?

IPA: Hanoi [saːm˧˧]; Saigon [ʂaːm˧˧]. Tones: sam — level tone (ngang).

What classifier is used with sam?

Common classifiers: con — for example "một con sam" (one a horseshoe crab).

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.