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tai

Level ≈A2 (approx.) noun Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [taːj˧˧]Huế [taːj˧˧]Saigon [taːj˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
tailevelngang

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

tai means ear.

Classifier: cái — e.g. một cái tai (one ear)

Meanings of tai in English

Noun

  1. ear

Words with tai

bạt taibông taidái taiđầu cua tai nheohoa tainặng taitai mắttai nghetóc taiviêm taitai nạntai họatai biếntai chuatai hoạtai hạitai quáitai tiếngtai áchtai ương

Example sentences with tai

  • Voi có tai lớn và vòi dài. Elephants have large ears and long nose.
  • Tai tôi đỏ lên vì cái lạnh. My ears went red from the cold.
  • Thỏ có tai dài và đuôi ngắn. A rabbit has long ears and a short tail.
  • Tom không nghe được một bên tai. Tom is deaf in one ear.
  • Con mèo có hai cái tai. A cat has two ears.
  • Tom bị điếc một bên tai. Tom is deaf in one ear.
  • Tại sao thỏ lại có đôi tai dài? Why do rabbits have long ears?
  • Tai bên phải của Tom không nghe được. Tom is deaf in his right ear.

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, tai could be written as 腮, 𦖻, 哉, 𦖱. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *saːj.

Frequently asked questions

What does tai mean in English?

tai (noun) means "ear".

How do you pronounce tai?

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

What classifier is used with tai?

Common classifiers: cái — for example "một cái tai" (one ear).

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.