mẫu tự
Definition
- Noun:
- A letter of the alphabet: A single character representing a sound in a writing system, such as 'A', 'B', 'C' in the Latin alphabet.
- Alphabet (collectively): The complete set of letters used to write a language, arranged in a conventional order.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Bảng chữ cái tiếng Việt có 29 mẫu tự. (The Vietnamese alphabet has 29 letters.)
- Trẻ em học nhận diện các mẫu tự trước khi học đọc. (Children learn to recognize letters before learning to read.)
- Anh ấy viết tất cả mẫu tự in hoa. (He wrote all the letters in uppercase.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "mẫu tự" is considered somewhat formal or academic. In everyday modern Vietnamese, "chữ cái" is more commonly used for "letter of the alphabet."
- It can be used in compound terms related to writing systems, such as "mẫu tự Latinh" (the Latin alphabet) or "mẫu tự Hy Lạp" (the Greek alphabet).
Variants and Related Words
- Chữ cái (n): The more common, modern term for a letter of the alphabet.
- Ký tự (n): A character, which can be broader than a letter (e.g., including numbers, punctuation).
- Bảng chữ cái (n): The alphabet chart or the alphabet as a system.
Synonyms
- Letter: A character representing one or more sounds used in speech.
- Alphabetic character: A more technical term for a letter.
- Alphabet: The set of letters in a fixed order.
Related Terms and Phrases
- Mẫu tự tượng thanh: Phonetic alphabet (e.g., the International Phonetic Alphabet).
- Sắp xếp theo thứ tự mẫu tự: To arrange in alphabetical order.
- Hệ thống mẫu tự: A writing system based on an alphabet.