tủ
Hanoi [tu˧˩]Huế [tʊw˧˨]Saigon [tʊw˨˩˦] browser voice
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
tủ means cabinet; cupboard; wardrobe.
Classifier: cái — e.g. một cái tủ (one cabinet)
Meanings of tủ in English
Noun
- cabinet; cupboard; wardrobe; chest; safe
- colloquial, figurative something valuable and useful that is kept by people to themselves, and only shown or used in times of need to win over others; stock-in-trade
- figurative part of a subject deemed to be high-yield in exams and chosen as the focus of one's study/exam preparation
Verb
- Central Vietnam to cover (with); to overlay (with) ≈ phủ
Words with tủ
Example sentences with tủ
- Nó đang treo trong tủ quần áo. It's hanging in the wardrobe.
- Tom có một ngăn tủ đầy cáp USB. Tom has a drawer full of USB cables.
- Hãy kiểm tra tủ quần áo của họ. Check their closet.
- Mẹ tôi để ly tách ở trong tủ bếp. My mother puts cups in the kitchen cupboard.
- Tôi sẽ cất nó ở ngăn tủ trên cùng. I'm going to keep this in the top drawer.
- Họ tìm thấy thi thể một đứa trẻ mới sinh trong tủ đông. They found the body of a newborn baby in a freezer.
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, tủ could be written as 䈹, 匬, 𣗿. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Etymology
Perhaps non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 廚 (SV: trù). Compare Khmer ទូ (tuu), Lao ຕູ້ (tū), Thai ตู้ (dtûu).
Frequently asked questions
What does tủ mean in English?
tủ (noun) means "cabinet; cupboard; wardrobe".
How do you pronounce tủ?
IPA: Hanoi [tu˧˩]; Saigon [tʊw˨˩˦]. Tones: tủ — dipping tone (hỏi).
What classifier is used with tủ?
Common classifiers: cái — for example "một cái tủ" (one cabinet).