Definition

1. Numeral:
   • Fifteen: A cardinal number, the natural number following fourteen and preceding sixteen. It is formed by combining the word for tens ("mươi") with the word for five ("lăm").
   • About fifteen, approximately fifteen: Used to indicate an approximate quantity or age, typically in the range of ten to fifteen.

Usage Examples

• Numeral:
  • Cô ấy có mươi lăm quyển sách. (She has fifteen books.)
  • Đứa trẻ mới mươi lăm tuổi. (The child is only fifteen years old.)
  • Chúng tôi đợi khoảng mươi lăm phút. (We waited for about fifteen minutes.)

Advanced Usage

• "mươi mười lăm": A variant phrase meaning "about ten to fifteen," used to express a rough estimate within that range.
  • Có mươi mười lăm người đã đến dự. (About ten to fifteen people attended.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mười lăm: The standard, more common form for the exact number "fifteen." "Mươi lăm" is a common colloquial variant.
• Mười: Ten.
• Lăm: Five (used specifically after "mươi" or "mười" to form fifteen, and in other compound numbers like twenty-five, thirty-five, etc.).

Synonyms

• Mười lăm: Fifteen (exact synonym).
• Khoảng mười lăm: About fifteen.
• Một tá rưỡi: A dozen and a half (colloquial for fifteen).

Notes on Usage

• "Mươi lăm" vs. "Mười lăm": Both mean "fifteen." "Mươi lăm" is often used in casual, spoken Vietnamese, particularly in the northern dialects. "Mười lăm" is the standard form used in writing and formal contexts.
• Position of "lăm": The word "lăm" is specifically used for the digit five in the units place when the tens digit is greater than zero (e.g., 15, 25, 35). It is not used for the number five by itself (which is "năm").

1. Fifteen or sọ