Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Strange; unfamiliar: Refers to something or someone not previously known, seen, or experienced.
   • Unusual; extraordinary: Describes something that is not normal, common, or ordinary.
   • Foreign: Pertaining to something from another place or country.

2. Verb:

   • To find strange; to be surprised by: To consider something to be unusual or to express surprise about it.

3. Adverb:

   • Extremely; remarkably: Used to intensify an adjective, indicating an unusual or surprising degree.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Đừng nói chuyện với người lạ. (Don't talk to strangers.)
  • Có một âm thanh lạ trong phòng. (There is a strange sound in the room.)
  • Anh ấy thích khám phá những vùng đất lạ. (He likes to explore foreign lands.)

• Verb:

  • Tôi lạ gì tính nó. (I am no stranger to his character./I am not surprised by his character.)

• Adverb:

  • Cô ấy hôm nay vui lạ. (She is remarkably happy today.)

Advanced Usage

• "chuyện lạ": a strange/weird story or event.

  • Báo chí đăng nhiều chuyện lạ. (The newspapers publish many strange stories.)

• "của lạ": something unusual, exotic, or a novelty.

  • Trẻ con hay thích của lạ. (Children often like novelties.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lạ lùng (adj): strange, peculiar, bizarre.

  • Phong tục đó thật lạ lùng. (That custom is truly bizarre.)

• Lạ mặt (adj): unfamiliar (face), stranger.

  • Một người đàn ông lạ mặt đang đứng ở cổng. (An unfamiliar man is standing at the gate.)

• Lạ hậu (adj): backward, lagging behind (often in development).

  • Kỹ thuật lạ hậu. (Outdated technology.)

Synonyms

• Strange: not familiar or known.
• Unusual: not habitually or commonly occurring.
• Foreign: belonging to a different country or culture.
• Extraordinary: very unusual or remarkable.

Related Idioms

• Lạ nước lạ cái: to be in a completely new and unfamiliar environment; to feel out of place.

  • Mới chuyển đến, tôi cảm thấy lạ nước lạ cái. (Just having moved, I feel like a fish out of water.)

• Mặt dày mày dạn, chẳng lạ ai: to be thick-skinned and familiar with everything (implying nothing is surprising anymore).

  • Anh ta mặt dày mày dạn, chẳng lạ ai cả. (He is so thick-skinned, nothing surprises him anymore.)

adj

1. strange; foreign
   • người lạ
     a strange person. unusual; extraordinary
   • thích của lạ
     to be fond of things unusual