Definition

1. Numeral:
   • Denoting the tens place: A word used after a cardinal number (from two to nine) to form a multiple of ten, indicating the tens place in the Vietnamese counting system.
   • Approximately ten: Used to indicate an approximate quantity of around ten.

Usage Examples

• Denoting the tens place:

  • Hai mươi. (Twenty.)
  • Tám mươi. (Eighty.)
  • Mấy mươi năm rồi? (How many tens of years has it been? / How many decades has it been?)

• Approximately ten:

  • Chỉ đi mươi ngày sẽ về. (To go away only for about ten days.)
  • Mới độ mươi tuổi. (To be only about ten years old.)

Advanced Usage

• "Mấy mươi": Used to ask about an unspecified number of tens (e.g., 20, 30, 40...). It is a question word for multiples of ten.

  • Căn nhà này giá mấy mươi triệu? (How many tens of millions is this house? / How many tens of millions does this house cost?)

• "Độ mươi": A phrase meaning "approximately ten" or "about ten," often used to give a rough estimate.

  • Độ mươi người đã đến. (About ten people have arrived.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chục: A synonym for "ten" as a unit or group of ten. While forms multiples of ten (20, 30...), often means a set of ten (e.g., = one ten, ten items). can also be used for approximation (e.g., = a few tens).
  • Hai chục trứng. (Two dozen eggs.)
  • Vài chục năm. (A few decades.)

Synonyms

• Khoảng mười: About ten (for the approximate meaning).
• Hàng chục: Tens, dozens (for the tens place meaning).

Important Notes on Usage

• Position: always follows a cardinal number from 2 to 9. It cannot stand alone to mean "ten" (which is ).
• Contrast with "mười": means the exact number "ten." is a bound morpheme used to create numbers like 20 (), 30 (), etc., or to mean "approximately ten."
• Approximation: When used for approximation, it often appears in phrases like , , or simply before a noun.

1. (denoting the tens)
   • Hai mươi
     Twenty
   • Tám mươi
     Eighty
   • Mấy mươi năm rồi?
     How many tens of years already?
2. About ten
   • Chỉ đi mươi ngày sẽ về
     To go away only for about ten days
   • Mới độ mươi tuổi
     To be only about ten