Definition

Noun: 1. Ear; ear canal opening: The external opening of the ear; the visible part of the auditory canal. 2. (Less common) Ear (as an organ): Can refer to the ear as a whole, though this usage is less precise than "tai".

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tôi bị nước vào lỗ tai khi bơi. (I got water in my ear while swimming.)
  • Cô ấy đeo hoa tai rất đẹp ở lỗ tai. (She wears very beautiful earrings on her earlobe [pierced through the ear opening].)
  • Anh ta nói to quá, làm đau lỗ tai tôi. (He speaks too loudly, it hurts my ears.)

Advanced Usage

• "Lỗ tai" vs. "Tai": While "tai" is the general term for the entire ear (inner, middle, outer), "lỗ tai" specifically emphasizes the external opening or canal. In many everyday contexts, they are used interchangeably to mean "ear".
• Figurative Use for Listening: Can be used figuratively to refer to one's capacity or willingness to listen.
  • Nói mãi mà chẳng vào lỗ tai nào. (Talk and talk but it doesn't enter any ear [i.e., no one is listening].)

Variants and Related Words

• Tai (n): Ear. The more common and general term for the auditory organ.
• Ống tai (n): Ear canal. The tube leading from the outer ear to the eardrum.
• Màng nhĩ (n): Eardrum. The thin membrane that vibrates in response to sound waves.
• Thính giác (n): Hearing; the sense of hearing.

Synonyms

• Tai (n): Ear.
• Lỗ tai is itself often a synonym for the general term "tai" in colloquial speech.

Related Phrases

• Nghễnh ngãng lỗ tai: To be hard of hearing.
  • Ông cụ đã già nên hơi nghễnh ngãng lỗ tai. (The old man is a bit hard of hearing due to his age.)
• Sát lỗ tai: Right by the ear; whispering closely.
  • Cô ấy thì thầm sát lỗ tai tôi. (She whispered right by my ear.)

Related Idioms

• Vào tai này ra tai kia / Vào lỗ tai này ra lỗ tai kia: To go in one ear and out the other; to not pay attention or remember.
  • Lời khuyên của mẹ cứ vào tai này ra tai kia. (My mother's advice just goes in one ear and out the other.)
• Tai này chưa rõ, tai kia đã điếc: (Literally: This ear isn't clear, the other ear is already deaf). Used to describe someone who is very hard of hearing or, figuratively, someone who stubbornly ignores what is said.

noun

1. ear; ear-hole