ốm
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
ốm means ill; sick.
Meanings of ốm in English
Words with ốm
Synonyms and antonyms of ốm
Antonyms
Example sentences with ốm
- Tôi ở nhà vì tôi bị ốm. I stayed home because I was sick.
- Bạn ấy nghỉ học vì bị ốm. She was absent from school because of sickness.
- Đầu tôi nhức vì tôi bị ốm. My head hurts because I'm sick.
- Những đứa con của Tom bị ốm. Tom's children are sick.
- Tôi không thấy ốm hay gì đâu. I don't feel sick or anything.
- Bạn bị ốm. Bạn phải nghỉ ngơi. You're sick. You have to rest.
- Nói với họ cậu bị ốm. Tell them you're sick.
- Một ngày nọ, bà bị ốm. One day, the grandmother fell ill.
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, ốm could be written as 瘖, 𤺵. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Usage note: ốm
ốm means opposite things in the North and South:
- North: ốm = sick, ill. Hôm nay tôi ốm, không đi làm. — I'm sick today, not going to work.
- South: ốm = thin, skinny. Dạo này em ốm quá! — You've got so thin lately!
So in the North, "sick" is ốm and "thin" is gầy; in the South, "sick" is bệnh (or bịnh) and "thin" is ốm.
A Hanoian telling a Saigon friend Tôi ốm may get a compliment instead of sympathy.
Northern compounds: ốm nặng — seriously ill; nghỉ ốm — sick leave. Southern: ốm nhom — skinny as a rake.
Commenting on someone's weight is common and not usually meant as rude in Vietnam, but as a foreigner you can stay neutral.
Etymology
From Proto-Vietic *ʔoːmʔ.
Frequently asked questions
What does ốm mean in English?
ốm (adjective) means "ill; sick".
How do you pronounce ốm?
IPA: Hanoi [ʔom˧˦]; Saigon [ʔom˦˥]. Tones: ốm — rising tone (sắc).