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xiên

nounverbadjective
Hanoi [siən˧˧]Huế [siəŋ˧˧]Saigon [siəŋ˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
xiênlevelngang

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

xiên means fork; skewer.

Classifier: cái — e.g. một cái xiên (one fork)

Meanings of xiên in English

Noun

  1. fork ≈ dĩanĩa
  2. skewer
    • cái xiên thịta meat skewer
    • cầm xiên xiên cáto skewer a fish with a skewer

Verb

  1. transitive to skewer, to impale
    • xiên thịt nướng chảto skewer meat and grill kabobs

Adjective

  1. slanted, oblique ≈ nghiêngchéo
    • chữ in xiênoblique characters
    • đường xiênslanted road; slanted line
    • Nắng chiếu xiên vào nhà.Sunlight enters the house at an angle.
  2. figurative crooked, dishonest
    • kẻ xiêna crook

Words with xiên

xiên bẩn

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, xiên could be written as 扦, 吀, 偏, 串. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 扦 (SV: thiên).

Frequently asked questions

What does xiên mean in English?

xiên (noun) means "fork; skewer".

How do you pronounce xiên?

IPA: Hanoi [siən˧˧]; Saigon [siəŋ˧˧]. Tones: xiên — level tone (ngang).

What classifier is used with xiên?

Common classifiers: cái — for example "một cái xiên" (one fork).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited. IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.