tự dưng

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

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

Syllables · tones

tựheavynặng dưnglevelngang

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

tự dưng means suddenly; unexpectedly; out of the blue.

Meanings of tự dưng in English

Adverb

suddenly, unexpectedly, out of the blue
- Hai đứa tự dưng cãi nhau.The two suddenly began bickering.

Example sentences with tự dưng

Đừng có tự dưng cười chứ. Ghê quá. Don't suddenly start laughing. It's creepy.

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

Frequently asked questions

What does tự dưng mean in English?

tự dưng (adverb) means "suddenly; unexpectedly; out of the blue".

How do you pronounce tự dưng?

IPA: Hanoi [tɨ˧˨ʔ zɨŋ˧˧]; Saigon [tɨ˨˩˨ jɨŋ˧˧]. Tones: tự — heavy tone (nặng), dưng — level tone (ngang).

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.