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tàu

Level ≈A1 (approx.) adjectivenoun Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [taw˨˩]Huế [taw˦˩]Saigon [ta(ː)w˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones

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

tàu means Chinese; Chinaman; Chink.

Meanings of tàu in English

Adjective

  1. informal Chinese; Chinaman; Chink ≈ KháchBa TàuHoaHán

Noun

  1. one of several types of vehicle or craft, usually large, designed for navigation in or on water, in air, on rails, or through outer space
    • say tàutrainsick or seasick
    • tàu Nautilusthe Nautilus
    • tàu Con Thoithe Space Shuttle

Noun

  1. large leaf
    • Sâu đầu đen gây hại làm tàu dừa cháy khô từ những lá già bên dưới.The Coconut black-headed caterpillar harmfully makes the coconut tree's large leaves dry-out from the older leaves underneath.

Words with tàu

Example sentences with tàu

  • Tôi sẽ lên chuyến tàu 11 giờ. I'm catching the 11:00 train.
  • Cậu chở mình tới trạm tàu nhé? Could you give me a ride to the station?
  • Bạn có bằng lái tàu không vậy? Do you have a license to operate a boat?
  • Chúng tôi chạy nhanh đến ga tàu. We hurried to the train station.
  • Thuyền trưởng muốn bạn trở về tàu. The captain wants you back on the ship.
  • Con tàu này đang đi đâu? Where's this train going?
  • Chiếc tàu gồm có bảy toa. The train is made up of seven cars.
  • Tôi dành 12 tiếng trên tàu. I spent twelve hours on the train.

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, tàu could be written as 𬟠, 蓸, 槽, 艚. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 艚 (SV: tào).

Frequently asked questions

What does tàu mean in English?

tàu (adjective) means "Chinese; Chinaman; Chink".

How do you pronounce tàu?

IPA: Hanoi [taw˨˩]; Saigon [ta(ː)w˨˩]. Tones: tàu — falling tone (huyền).

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.