tự

Level ≈A1 (approx.) adverbprepositionnoun Sino-Vietnamese Top 1,000 most common

Hanoi [tɨ˧˨ʔ]Huế [tɨ˨˩ʔ]Saigon [tɨ˨˩˨] browser voice

Syllables · tones

tựheavynặng

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

tự means oneself; by oneself; from.

Chinese characters: 字

Meanings of tự in English

Adverb

before verb by oneself; on one's own
- Để tao tự làm.Let me do it myself.

Preposition

literary since, from ≈ từ
- tự khi nàosince when

Noun

a courtesy name ≈ biệt hiệu
literary a Chinese character

Words with tự

Synonyms and antonyms of tự

Synonyms

chữ

Example sentences with tự

Tôi dự định tự đi về nhà. I plan to go home by myself.
Tôi sẽ tự sửa cái máy đó. I'll repair that machine myself.
Con tôi có thể tự mặc đồ. My baby can dress herself.
Tôi tự hỏi là mất bao lâu. I wonder how long it's going to take.
Cô ấy tự sưởi ấm bằng lửa. She warmed herself by the fire.
Bà ấy tự sưởi ấm bằng lửa. She warmed herself by the fire.
Tôi có thể tự bảo vệ mình. I can defend myself.
Cái đó bạn tự nghĩ ra sao? Did you come up with that on your own?

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

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 字 (“letter, character, word”).

Frequently asked questions

What does tự mean in English?

tự (adverb) means "oneself; by oneself; from".

How do you pronounce tự?

IPA: Hanoi [tɨ˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [tɨ˨˩˨]. Tones: tự — heavy tone (nặng).

Is tự a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. tự is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 字.

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.