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trái

Level ≈A2 (approx.) adjectiveadverbpreposition Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [t͡ɕaːj˧˦]Huế [ʈaːj˨˩˦]Saigon [ʈaːj˦˥] browser voice
Syllables · tones
tráirisingsắc

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

trái means left; reverse.

Meanings of trái in English

Adjective

  1. with bên left (side, direction) ≈ tảchiêu
    • bên tráion the left
    • Rẽ/Quẹo (tay) trái.Turn left.
  2. reverse (side) ≈ sau
    • mặt trái của tấm vảithe reverse of a piece of cloth
  3. rare morally wrong, unreasonable, illogical
    • phân rõ phải trái, đúng saito distinguish between right and wrong

Adverb

  1. inside out ≈ ngược
    • Lộn trái quần áo để phơi.Turn the clothes inside out and hang them out to dry.

Preposition

  1. contrary to, despite
    • nắng trái tiếtunseasonably sunny
    • trái nghĩaantonymous
    • trái với quan niệm thông thườngcontrary to popular belief

Noun

  1. Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam piece of fruit ≈ trái câyquả
    • ăn trái (cây)to eat fruit
  2. informal land mine ≈ mìn
    • gài tráito place land mines

Classifier

  1. Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam Refers to anything round, such as a piece of fruit. ≈ quả
    • trái chôm chômrambutan
    • trái lựu đạngrenade
    • trái núimountain

Noun

  1. smallpox ≈ đậu mùa
    • lên tráito come down with smallpox

Words with trái

oan tráitrái khoáytrái lạitrái nghĩatrái ngượctrái phéptừ trái nghĩabánh tráitrái câytrái đấttrái timtrái vớitrái cấmtrái khoántrái ngangtrái phiếutrái quyềntrái xoan

Synonyms and antonyms of trái

Antonyms

phảitrướcchính

Example sentences with trái

  • Hãy rẽ trái ở góc phố tới. Turn left at the next corner.
  • Cô ấy đã bị bỏng tay trái. She got her left hand burned.
  • Bà ấy đã bị bỏng tay trái. She burned her left hand.
  • Tom bị đau ở bàn chân trái. Tom hurt his left foot.
  • Rẽ trái ở chỗ đèn giao thông. Turn left at the traffic lights.
  • Tay phải làm, tay trái không biết. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
  • Không phải điều này trái luật sao? Isn't this against the rules?
  • Trái táo này bị hư rồi. This apple is rotten.

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, trái could be written as 賴, 債, 頼, 𣡚. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Usage note: trái

trái has two everyday meanings: "left" and, in the South, "fruit" (as a classifier and in compounds).

  • Left: Rẽ trái. — Turn left. bên tay trái — on the left-hand side
  • Fruit (South): trái cây — fruit; một trái xoài — a mango; trái dừa — a coconut
  • Wrong, contrary: trái luật — against the law; trái ngược — opposite

The Northern counterpart for fruit is quả: hoa quả (fruit), một quả xoài. Southerners use trái also for round things: trái tim (heart — also used nationwide), trái đất (the Earth), trái banh (ball, South).

Taxi direction: Tới ngã tư quẹo trái. (South) / Đến ngã tư rẽ trái. (North) — Turn left at the intersection.

Opposite of left: phải (right).

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *k-laːjʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *klaj(ʔ) ~ *klaaj(ʔ) (“to change”). Cognate with Muong Bi tlải, Tho [Cuối Chăm] klaːj³, Khmer ក្លាយ (klaay, “to change”), Mon ကၠဲာ (klai, “to translate”). Compare also Thai กลาย (glaai), Lao ກາຍ (kāi).

Frequently asked questions

What does trái mean in English?

trái (adjective) means "left; reverse".

How do you pronounce trái?

IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕaːj˧˦]; Saigon [ʈaːj˦˥]. Tones: trái — rising tone (sắc).

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.