ngài

See also: ngai, Ngai, ngáí, ngãi, and ngại

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋaːj˨˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋaːj˦˩]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ŋaːj˨˩]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Vietic *ŋaːj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *[m]ŋaaj (“human being; person”). Cognate with Muong ngài.

Noun

ngài • (𠊚, 𠊛, 𠏥)

(North Central Vietnam) human

Related terms

người; ngươi

Pronoun

ngài • (𠊚, 𠊛,𠊎,𠏥)

(highly formal, respectful) you
(highly formal, respectful) he, him
(highly formal, respectful, rare) she, her

Usage notes

In modern Vietnamese, only reserved for those that are deemed to be of utmost importance (i.e. head of corporations, royalties or heads of state).
The term can, but rarely, be applied to female figures in 3rd person.

Etymology 2

From Old Chinese 蛾 (OC *ŋˤaj) (B-S) (SV: nga).

Noun

(classifier con) ngài • (𧍋)

moth
Synonym: bướm đêm

See also

Anagrams

giàn

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.