Definition

1. Noun:
   • A smaller part growing out from a main stem or trunk: Refers to a branch, limb, or bough of a tree or plant.
   • A subdivision or offshoot from a main body: Refers to a smaller part that diverges from something larger but remains connected, such as a branch of a river, a branch of a family, or a branch in a tunnel system.
   • (In specific contexts) A shoot or new growth from a root or bulb: Refers to a new, smaller plant or sprout growing from the base of a main plant, like a clove of garlic or a piece of ginger.

Usage Examples

• Referring to a plant part:
  • Cây sồi già có nhiều nhánh lớn. (The old oak tree has many large branches.)
  • Người làm vườn cắt tỉa những nhánh hoa hồng khô. (The gardener prunes the dry rose branches.)
• Referring to a subdivision:
  • Sông Cửu Long chảy vào Việt Nam chia thành nhiều nhánh. (The Mekong River flows into Vietnam and divides into many branches.)
  • Công ty mở một nhánh kinh doanh mới ở miền Nam. (The company opened a new business branch in the South.)
• Referring to new growth from a root/bulb:
  • Củ tỏi này có nhiều nhánh. (This garlic bulb has many cloves.)
  • Cây lúa bắt đầu đẻ nhánh. (The rice plant begins to tiller [produce new shoots].)

Advanced Usage

• "Nhánh rẽ": A fork or branching point in a road, path, or decision.
  • Tại nhánh rẽ, hãy đi về bên phải. (At the fork, turn right.)
• "Nhánh họ": A branch or lineage of a family.
  • Ông ấy thuộc về một nhánh họ xa của chúng tôi. (He belongs to a distant branch of our family.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cành: Often used interchangeably with "nhánh" for tree branches, but "cành" can imply a slightly larger or sturdier branch.
• Ngành: Refers to a branch in terms of a field, sector, or industry (e.g., - industrial sector). It is not used for physical branches of plants or rivers.
• Chi: A more formal or biological term for a branch, subdivision, or clan (e.g., - family clan, - plant genus).

Synonyms

• Cành: Branch, bough.
• Nhánh cây: Tree branch (specific compound).
• Ngả rẽ: Fork, divergence (in a path).

Related Phrases / Compound Words

• Nhánh cây: Tree branch.
• Nhánh sông: River branch, distributary.
• Nhánh họ: Family branch.
• Đẻ nhánh: To tiller (for plants like rice); to branch out, to proliferate.

Related Idioms

• "Đen nhánh": Jet-black, glossy black. Describes something with a deep, shiny black color.
  • Mái tóc cô ấy đen nhánh. (Her hair is jet-black.)
• "Nhanh nhánh": (Reduplication) Very quick, nimble, or alert. This is a homophone; the meaning comes from "nhanh" (fast/quick), not "nhánh" (branch).
  • Đứa bé nhanh nhánh trả lời câu hỏi. (The child quickly answered the question.)

noun

1. branch; limb; bough
   • nhánh cây
     branch of tree