nóc nhà
Definition
- Noun:
- Roof: The structure that forms the top covering of a building. This is the primary and most common meaning.
- House / Household (dialectal, metonymic): In some dialects and contexts, "nóc nhà" is used to refer to a house as a unit or a household, often when counting homes. This usage is less common in standard modern Vietnamese.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Roof):
- Mưa rơi lộp độp trên nóc nhà. (Rain patters on the roof.)
- Chim làm tổ trên nóc nhà. (Birds make a nest on the roof.)
- Noun (Household):
- Làng này có khoảng một trăm nóc nhà. (This village has about one hundred houses.)
Advanced Usage
- The dialectal usage meaning "house" is often found in formal or literary contexts, such as in population statistics, historical descriptions, or poetry, to evoke a traditional or rural image.
Variants and Related Words
- Mái nhà (n): This is a more common synonym specifically for "roof," focusing on the sloped, covering structure.
- Mái nhà lợp ngói đỏ. (The roof is tiled with red tiles.)
- Nhà (n): The general word for house, building, or home.
- Nhà tôi ở gần công viên. (My house is near the park.)
Synonyms
- Roof: The top covering of a building.
- Household: A house and its occupants considered as a unit (for the dialectal sense).
Related Idioms
- Nóc nhà chung: Literally "common roof," a poetic or formal term for the homeland or the nation.
- Bảo vệ nóc nhà chung của đất nước. (To protect the common homeland of the country.)