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thể dục

Level ≈B2 (approx.) noun Sino-Vietnamese Top 5,000 most common
Hanoi [tʰe˧˩ zʊwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ]Huế [tʰej˧˨ jʊwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ]Saigon [tʰej˨˩˦ jʊwk͡p̚˨˩˨] browser voice
Syllables · tones
thểdippinghỏidụcheavynặng

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

thể dục means physical education; physical exercise.

Chinese characters: 體育 (體 “body” + 育 “education”)

Meanings of thể dục in English

Noun

  1. physical education ≈ giáo dục thể chất
    • Ghét học thể dục quá đi!I hate PE so much!
  2. physical exercise
    • tập thể dụcto exercise
    • thể dục thể thaoexercise and sports

Words with thể dục

thể dục dụng cụthể dục nghệ thuậtthể dục thể hình

Example sentences with thể dục

  • Giáo viên thể dục ghét tui mà. My gym teacher hated me.
  • Thể dục khiến cho cơ thể khỏe mạnh. Exercise makes the body healthy.

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

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 體育, composed of 體 (“body”) and 育 (“education”), from Japanese 体育 (taiiku), clipped from 身体(之)教育 (shintai(-no) kyōiku, thân thể (chi) giáo dục), calqued from English physical education by the Japanese writer Kondō Yasuzō. An earlier alternative clipping was 身教 (shinkyō, thân giáo). Compare Japanese 知育 (chiiku, tri dục, “intellectual education”) and 徳育 (tokuiku, đức dục, “moral education”).

Frequently asked questions

What does thể dục mean in English?

thể dục (noun) means "physical education; physical exercise".

How do you pronounce thể dục?

IPA: Hanoi [tʰe˧˩ zʊwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [tʰej˨˩˦ jʊwk͡p̚˨˩˨]. Tones: thể — dipping tone (hỏi), dục — heavy tone (nặng).

Is thể dục a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. thể dục is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 體育.

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.