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xe lửa

Level ≈B1 (approx.) noun Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [sɛ˧˧ lɨə˧˩]Huế [sɛ˧˧ lɨə˧˨]Saigon [sɛ˧˧ lɨə˨˩˦] browser voice
Syllables · tones
xelevelnganglửadippinghỏi

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

xe lửa means train.

Classifier: cái, chiếc — e.g. một cái xe lửa (one train)

Meanings of xe lửa in English

Noun

  1. Southern Vietnam train ≈ tàu hoả

Example sentences with xe lửa

  • Nó đã lỡ chuyến xe lửa 8:30. He failed to catch the 8:30 train.
  • Bạn sẽ kịp xe lửa nếu đi ngay. You will be in time for the train if you start at once.
  • Đừng mở trước khi xe lửa ngừng lại. Don't open before the train stops.
  • Chiếc xe lửa này luôn luôn đúng giờ. The train is always on time.
  • Tom bỏ quên dù của nó trên xe lửa. Tom left his umbrella on the train.
  • Làm thế nào tôi có thể đi đến ga xe lửa? How do I get to the train station?
  • Tôi có thể đi đến ga xe lửa bằng cách nào? How do I get to the train station?
  • Xe lửa sẽ di chuyển ở vận tốc 50 dặm một giờ. The train is traveling at the rate of 50 miles an hour.

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, xe lửa could be written as 車焒. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

xe (“wheeled vehicle”) + lửa (“fire”), a calque of Chinese 火車 /火车 (hoả xa).

Frequently asked questions

What does xe lửa mean in English?

xe lửa (noun) means "train".

How do you pronounce xe lửa?

IPA: Hanoi [sɛ˧˧ lɨə˧˩]; Saigon [sɛ˧˧ lɨə˨˩˦]. Tones: xe — level tone (ngang), lửa — dipping tone (hỏi).

What classifier is used with xe lửa?

Common classifiers: cái, chiếc — for example "một cái xe lửa" (one train).

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.