vô tình

Level ≈B1 (approx.) adjectiveadverb Sino-Vietnamese Top 3,000 most common

Hanoi [vo˧˧ tïŋ˨˩]Huế [vow˧˧ tɨn˦˩]Saigon [vow˧˧ tɨn˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

vôlevelngang tìnhfallinghuyền

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

vô tình means heartless; hardhearted.

Chinese characters: 無情 (無 “no” + 情 “emotion, sentiment”)

Meanings of vô tình in English

Adjective

heartless, hardhearted
- vun đắp tình bạn trong thế gian vô tìnhto maintain friendships in a loveless world

Adverb

unintentionally, accidentally

Synonyms and antonyms of vô tình

Antonyms

cố tình

Example sentences with vô tình

Tôi vô tình đổ cà phê lên áo của mình. I accidentally spilled coffee on my shirt.
Con dao vô tình rạch vào tay của cô ấy. The knife accidentally gashes her hand.
Con dao vô tình rạch vào tay của anh ấy. The knife accidentally gashes his hand.
Anh ấy vô tình bỏ muối vào cà phê của bạn. He accidentally put salt in your coffee.

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

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 無情, composed of 無 (“no”) and 情 (“emotion, sentiment”). The second sense derived from "having no sentiment [to do something]".

Frequently asked questions

What does vô tình mean in English?

vô tình (adjective) means "heartless; hardhearted".

How do you pronounce vô tình?

IPA: Hanoi [vo˧˧ tïŋ˨˩]; Saigon [vow˧˧ tɨn˨˩]. Tones: vô — level tone (ngang), tình — falling tone (huyền).

Is vô tình a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. vô tình is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 無情.

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.