tên lửa

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

Hanoi [ten˧˧ lɨə˧˩]Huế [ten˧˧ lɨə˧˨]Saigon [təːn˧˧ lɨə˨˩˦] browser voice

Syllables · tones

tênlevelngang lửadippinghỏi

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

tên lửa means a rocket; a missile.

Classifier: mũi, quả — e.g. một mũi tên lửa (one rocket)

Meanings of tên lửa in English

Noun

a rocket
a missile

Example sentences with tên lửa

Tên lửa êm ái bay lên. The rocket went up smoothly.
Tên lửa đã đưa vệ tinh viễn thông vào quỹ đạo. The rocket put a communications satellite into orbit.
Tên lửa hạt nhân của Triều Tiên có thể bay đến Guam và Alaska. North Korean nuclear missiles could reach Guam and Alaska.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Etymology

tên (“arrow”) + lửa (“fire”), calque of Chinese 火箭 (hoả tiễn).

Frequently asked questions

What does tên lửa mean in English?

tên lửa (noun) means "a rocket; a missile".

How do you pronounce tên lửa?

IPA: Hanoi [ten˧˧ lɨə˧˩]; Saigon [təːn˧˧ lɨə˨˩˦]. Tones: tên — level tone (ngang), lửa — dipping tone (hỏi).

What classifier is used with tên lửa?

Common classifiers: mũi, quả — for example "một mũi tên lửa" (one a rocket).

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.