xé

Level ≈B2 (approx.) verb Top 5,000 most common

Hanoi [sɛ˧˦]Huế [sɛ˨˩˦]Saigon [sɛ˦˥] browser voice

Syllables · tones

xérisingsắc

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

xé means to tear.

Meanings of xé in English

Verb

transitive to tear
- xé tờ giấyto tear up a sheet of paper
- xé vảito tear cloth

Words with xé

cấu xé giằng xé xâu xé xé xác

Example sentences with xé

Sao Bill xé lá thư ra từng mảnh vậy? Why did Bill tear the letter into pieces?
Tôi đã xé tờ giấy đó ra thành từng mảnh. I tore the paper into pieces.

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, xé could be written as 𫽎, 𢹊, 𠠚, 熾. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 扯 (“to tear”, SV: xả).

Frequently asked questions

What does xé mean in English?

xé (verb) means "to tear".

How do you pronounce xé?

IPA: Hanoi [sɛ˧˦]; Saigon [sɛ˦˥]. Tones: xé — 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.