vua

Level ≈A2 (approx.) nounadjective Top 1,000 most common

Hanoi [vuə˧˧]Huế [vuə˧˧]Saigon [vuə˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

vualevelngang

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

vua means monarch; king.

Classifier: vị, nhà, ông, con, quân — e.g. một vị vua (one monarch)

Meanings of vua in English

Noun

monarch (ruler)
- đức vuathe king
king

Adjective

of an insect being a king
- mối vuaa king termite
- ong vuaa drone

Words with vua

cánh vua cờ vua vua chúa vua cờ

Idioms and sayings with vua

anh chột làm vua xứ mù — a mediocre person without any special qualities who stands out only because they are surrounded by people worse than them; in the land of the blind, the one-eye
phép vua thua lệ làng — even the monarch's law loses to a village's norms
thằng chột làm vua xứ mù — synonym of anh chột làm vua xứ mù (“in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king”)

Example sentences with vua

Anh ta là vua của bóng đêm. He is the king of the night.
Vị vua đã lạm dụng quyền hành. The king abused his power.
Nhà vua đã bị xử tử. The king was executed.
Anh ấy còn hơn cả vua. He was more than a king.
Nhà vua đã rất tức giận. The king was very angry.
Đức vua trị vì vương quốc. The king governed the country.
Vua chỉ có thể đi được một ô. The king can only move one square.
Tom được vua tha tội. Tom was pardoned by the king.

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, vua could be written as 𤤰, 𢃊, 𪻟. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Based on the Vietic cognates and Nôm philologist evidence, the proto-Vietnamese form *t-puə can be reconstructed.

Frequently asked questions

What does vua mean in English?

vua (noun) means "monarch; king".

How do you pronounce vua?

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

What classifier is used with vua?

Common classifiers: vị, nhà, ông, con, quân — for example "một vị vua" (one monarch).

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.