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từ

Level ≈A1 (approx.) nounconjunctionverb Sino-Vietnamese Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [tɨ˨˩]Huế [tɨ˦˩]Saigon [tɨ˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones

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

từ means from; since; word.

Chinese characters: 詞

Meanings of từ in English

Noun

  1. word ≈ chữtừ ngữ

Noun

  1. ci (poetry)

Noun

  1. abbreviation, colloquial short for ông từ (“temple guard”)

Noun

  1. abbreviation short for từ tính (“magnetism”)
    • nhiễm từto magnetize

Conjunction

  1. from, since
  2. at, in (a time; indicating that the result of the action continues to the present)

Verb

  1. literary to give up
    • gian nan cũng không từnot give up even in the face of hardship
  2. to disown, to cut ties with
    • từ mặt nhauto cut ties with each other
  3. to resign
    • từ quanto resign as mandarin
  4. to spare, to leave out
    • không từ thủ đoạnto spare no means
    • đồ lễ cũng không từto not spare even the offerings

Words with từ

Example sentences with từ

  • Anh ta bỏ đi từ chỗ đó. He left from there.
  • Vẽ một đường từ A đến B. Draw a line from A to B.
  • Tôi ở đây từ đó đến giờ. I was here all the time.
  • Ồ! Đã từ lâu lâu lắm rồi. Wow! It's been a long time.
  • Cái hộp đó được làm từ gỗ. The box is made of wood.
  • Tôi đã chơi cờ vua từ nhỏ. I've been playing chess since I was a kid.
  • Từ đó phát âm như thế nào? How is it pronounced?
  • Tôi nghĩ anh ấy đến từ Áo. I think he's from Austria.

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, từ could be written as 自, 徐, 辭, 辞. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 自 (“from, since”, SV: tự). Doublet of tự.

Frequently asked questions

What does từ mean in English?

từ (noun) means "from; since; word".

How do you pronounce từ?

IPA: Hanoi [tɨ˨˩]; Saigon [tɨ˨˩]. Tones: từ — falling tone (huyền).

Is từ a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. từ is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 詞.

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.