Definition

Adverb: - Only, merely, just: Indicates a very small remaining quantity or the lowest possible amount. It emphasizes scarcity or minimal presence.

Usage

• Used to describe a situation where only a very small amount of something remains, often implying it is the last or least possible.
• Typically precedes a numeral and a noun to specify what little is left.

Usage Examples

• (I have only ten thousand dong left in my wallet.)
• (After the epidemic, this village has only a few households left.)
• (There is just one cake left in the box.)

Advanced Usage

• "chỉ nhõn": An emphatic form combining "chỉ" (only) and "nhõn" to stress extreme scarcity.
  • Cả ngày ăn uống, giờ chỉ nhõn vài chục ngàn. (After eating and drinking all day, now I have only a mere few tens of thousands left.)
• Used in informal, conversational contexts to convey a tone of complaint, resignation, or emphasis on how little remains.

Variants and Related Words

• Nhỏn (adv): A less common variant with the same meaning as "nhõn."
• Chỉ (adv): Only, merely. (A more common and standard synonym).
• Vỏn vẹn (adv): Merely, no more than. (Emphasizes a small, often surprisingly small, amount).

Synonyms

• Chỉ: only
• Vỏn vẹn: merely, just
• Độc nhất: sole, only one (but refers to uniqueness rather than quantity)

Notes

• "Nhõn" is primarily used in Northern Vietnamese dialects.
• It belongs to a colloquial and somewhat informal register. In formal writing, "chỉ" is preferred.
• The word often carries a subjective connotation, implying that the remaining amount is insufficient or lamentably small from the speaker's perspective.

1. Only one left
   • Còn nhõn có một đồng
     To have only one dong left