Definition

Noun: 1. Smoke: A visible suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in the air, typically produced by combustion or burning. This is the most common meaning. 2. Steam, vapor, mist: A visible mass of tiny water droplets or other condensed matter suspended in the air, often rising from a hot liquid or surface. This meaning is used in specific contexts, often poetically or descriptively.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Smoke):

  • Khói bốc lên từ ống khói nhà máy. (Smoke rises from the factory chimney.)
  • Căn phòng đầy khói thuốc lá. (The room is full of cigarette smoke.)
  • Không có lửa làm sao có khói. (Where there's smoke, there's fire. / Literally: Without fire, how can there be smoke?)

• Noun (Steam/Vapor):

  • Khói nghi ngút từ nồi cơm mới chín. (Steam billows from the freshly cooked rice pot.)
  • Mặt hồ phủ một làn khói sương mỏng. (The lake's surface is covered with a thin mist of fog.)

Advanced Usage

• "Khói lửa": Literally "smoke and fire," used metaphorically to refer to war, conflict, or a dangerous, turbulent situation.

  • Anh ấy đã trải qua những năm tháng khói lửa chiến tranh. (He lived through the smoke and fire of the war years.)

• "Khói hương": Literally "incense smoke," refers to the smoke from burning incense sticks, often in a religious or ceremonial context.

  • Khói hương tỏa ra từ bàn thờ tổ tiên. (Incense smoke wafts from the ancestral altar.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khói bụi (n): Dust and smoke; grime.

  • Thành phố bị bao phủ bởi khói bụi. (The city is covered in dust and smoke.)

• Khói xe (n): Exhaust fumes (from vehicles).

  • Khói xe gây ô nhiễm không khí. (Vehicle exhaust fumes cause air pollution.)

• Khói sóng (n): A poetic compound meaning "mist and waves," often describing a scenic, hazy seascape or river view.

  • Cảnh sông nước mênh mông khói sóng. (A vast river scene of mist and waves.)

Synonyms

• Hơi nước: Steam, water vapor.
• Sương mù: Fog, mist.
• Làn khói: A wisp of smoke/steam.

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Bốc khói: To emit smoke/steam; to fume.

  • Núi lửa đang bốc khói. (The volcano is emitting smoke.)

• Tan thành khói: To vanish into thin air; to disappear completely.

  • Hy vọng của anh ấy tan thành khói. (His hopes vanished into thin air.)

Related Idioms

• Khói lam chiều: The evening cooking smoke (from rural kitchens); evokes imagery of peaceful countryside life at dusk.

  • Hình ảnh khói lam chiều gợi nhớ quê hương. (The image of evening cooking smoke evokes memories of home.)

• Đầu voi đuôi chuột / Khởi đầu như rồng cuối cùng như giun: These are different idioms, but the concept of something impressive deteriorating is sometimes metaphorically linked to strong fire producing only weak smoke. However, "khói" itself is not the core of a major standalone idiom. Its idiomatic use is primarily in the compounds and phrases listed above.

noun

1. smoke
   • khói đèn
     lamp-smoke