tăm

noun

Hanoi [tam˧˧]Huế [tam˧˧]Saigon [tam˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

tămlevelngang

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

tăm means toothpick.

Classifier: cây, que, cái — e.g. một cây tăm (one toothpick)

Meanings of tăm in English

Noun

toothpick

Noun

small air bubbles ≈ bọt bong bóng
- sủi tămto be effervescent or fizzy
- vang sủi tămsparkling wine
one's trace
- mất tămto disappear completely

Words with tăm

tăm xỉa răng tăm hơi tiếng tăm tăm tối

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, tăm could be written as 杺, 籖, 沁. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 籤 (SV: thiêm). Compare xăm, thăm.

Frequently asked questions

What does tăm mean in English?

tăm (noun) means "toothpick".

How do you pronounce tăm?

IPA: Hanoi [tam˧˧]; Saigon [tam˧˧]. Tones: tăm — level tone (ngang).

What classifier is used with tăm?

Common classifiers: cây, que, cái — for example "một cây tăm" (one toothpick).

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.