hấu

Mẹ tôi mua một quả hấu rất to ở chợ.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Watermelon: A large, round or oval fruit with a hard green rind and sweet, juicy, usually red flesh containing many black seeds. It is commonly eaten fresh in slices or used in drinks and salads.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mùa hè nóng nực, ăn một miếng hấu rất mát. (It's hot in summer; eating a slice of watermelon is very refreshing.)
  • Mẹ tôi mua một quả hấu rất to ở chợ. (My mother bought a very large watermelon at the market.)
  • Nước ép hấu là thức uống giải khát tuyệt vời. (Watermelon juice is a great refreshing drink.)

Advanced Usage

• "ruột hấu": watermelon flesh/pulp.
  • Ruột hấu đỏ và ngọt. (The watermelon flesh is red and sweet.)
• "vỏ hấu": watermelon rind/peel.
  • Vỏ hấu rất cứng. (The watermelon rind is very hard.)
• "hạt hấu": watermelon seed.
  • Trẻ con thường nhổ hạt hấu khi ăn. (Children often spit out watermelon seeds when eating.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dưa hấu: This is the full, standard term for "watermelon." The word "hấu" is a common shortened form used in everyday speech, similar to how "melon" can refer to watermelon in some contexts in English.
  • Dưa hấu có nguồn gốc từ châu Phi. (Watermelons originated in Africa.)

Synonyms

• Watermelon: The direct and only accurate translation for the fruit referred to by "hấu." Other melons (e.g., cantaloupe, honeydew) are different fruits and have different names in Vietnamese (e.g., dưa lưới, dưa vàng).

Related Phrases

• "Ngọt như hấu": (As sweet as a watermelon) - An idiom describing something very sweet.
  • Quả xoài này ngọt như hấu. (This mango is as sweet as a watermelon.)
• "Bổ hấu": To cut/split open a watermelon.
  • Bố tôi đang bổ hấu cho cả nhà. (My father is cutting the watermelon for the whole family.)

Notes on Usage

• The word "hấu" is almost exclusively used to mean "watermelon" in modern Vietnamese. It is a colloquial shortening of the full term "dưa hấu".
• It functions solely as a noun. When used alone, it is understood to refer to the fruit. It does not function as a verb or adjective.
• In most formal or written contexts, the full term "dưa hấu" is preferred, but "hấu" is perfectly acceptable and common in spoken language.