thưa
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
thưa means sparse.
Meanings of thưa in English
Adjective
- sparse
Verb
- to tell somebody something in a respectful way
Words with thưa
Example sentences with thưa
- Thưa ông, ông không thể qua được. You may not pass, sir.
- Ông có thể vui lòng nhanh lên được không, thưa ông? Could you please hurry up, sir?
- Thưa ngài Tổng thống, chính niềm mong muốn dân chủ đã làm sụp đổ bức tường Berlin. Mr President, it was yearning for democracy that brought down the Berlin Wall.
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, thưa could be written as 𠽔. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Usage note: thưa
thưa is a very respectful word for addressing someone, placed before their title. It belongs to formal speech, speeches, and traditional politeness toward elders.
- Speeches and announcements: Thưa quý vị và các bạn… — Ladies and gentlemen…
- Formal letters and speech: Thưa thầy, em có câu hỏi. — Sir, I have a question.
- Traditional Northern politeness: Thưa bố, con đi học ạ. — Father, I'm going to school.
Dạ thưa at the start of an answer is extremely polite: Dạ thưa cô, em làm xong rồi ạ. — Teacher, I've finished.
In everyday conversation with shopkeepers or friends, thưa is too formal; dạ and ạ are enough.
thưa also means "sparse, thin" as an adjective: tóc thưa — thin hair; thưa thớt — sparse, few and far between.
Etymology
Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 疏 (SV: sơ).
Frequently asked questions
What does thưa mean in English?
thưa (adjective) means "sparse".
How do you pronounce thưa?
IPA: Hanoi [tʰɨə˧˧]; Saigon [tʰɨə˧˧]. Tones: thưa — level tone (ngang).