Definition

1. Adjective (Reduplicative form):
   • Vaguely remembering / Having a faint memory: Describes a state of slight, indistinct, or hazy recollection of someone or something. It implies a memory that is not clear or strong, but merely a faint impression.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Tôi chỉ nhơ nhớ khuôn mặt của người đó. (I only vaguely remember that person's face.)
  • Cô ấy nhơ nhớ là đã đọc cuốn sách này rồi. (She faintly remembers having read this book before.)
  • Anh ấy có nhơ nhớ về ngôi nhà cũ của mình. (He has a hazy memory of his old house.)

Advanced Usage

• This word is a reduplicative form (từ láy) of the root word "nhớ" (to remember). Reduplication often softens the meaning, indicating a lesser degree or a more tentative state. "Nhơ nhớ" specifically conveys an incomplete or blurry memory, unlike the stronger and clearer "nhớ".

Variants and Related Words

• Nhớ (v): to remember, to recall.

  • Tôi nhớ rất rõ ngày hôm đó. (I remember that day very clearly.)

• Mơ hồ nhớ (phrase): to remember vaguely.

  • Ký ức của tôi về sự kiện đó chỉ mơ hồ nhớ. (My memory of that event is only a vague recollection.)

Synonyms

• Recall vaguely: to remember in an indistinct way.
• Have a faint memory: to possess a weak recollection.
• Remember hazily: to remember without clarity or precision.

Notes on Usage

• Nhơ nhớ is primarily used in descriptive contexts to talk about memories, faces, places, or events from the past. It is not typically used for remembering to do future tasks (for which "nhớ" is used).
• It carries a poetic or reflective nuance, often expressing nostalgia or the natural fading of memory over time.

1. xem nhớ (láy)