o
/ou/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definitions
Noun:
- Aunt; auntie (father's sister): A familiar or affectionate term for a paternal aunt.
- Young girl; miss: A polite or familiar term of address or reference for a young woman or girl, often used in Central Vietnam.
Verb:
- To flirt; to court; to make love to: (Informal, colloquial) To behave amorously towards a woman, to woo or try to win her affection.
Usage Examples
Noun (Aunt):
- Cháu chào o! (Hello, Auntie!)
- O tôi ở Huế. (My aunt lives in Hue.)
Noun (Young girl):
- Các o làng Đông Hội hát hay lắm. (The young ladies of Dong Hoi village sing very well.)
- O ấy tên là gì? (What is that young lady's name?)
Verb (To flirt):
- Anh ta đang o cô gái hàng xóm. (He is flirting with the neighbor girl.)
- Đừng có o người ta nữa! (Stop flirting with her!)
Advanced Usage
"O con gái": A young girl; a maiden.
- Làng tôi có nhiều o con gái xinh. (My village has many beautiful young girls.)
"Ông chú bà o": A phrase meaning "relatives" or specifically "uncles and aunts" (paternal side), often used to refer to one's extended family network.
- Việc này phải bàn với ông chú bà o. (This matter must be discussed with the uncles and aunts / the extended family.)
Variants and Related Words
- Cô: The standard, more formal word for "aunt" (father's sister) or "Miss". "O" is a regional/colloquial variant of this.
- Dì: Aunt (mother's sister).
- Bác: Aunt/Uncle (parent's older sibling).
- Chị: Older sister; also a polite term for a slightly older woman.
Synonyms
- Noun (Aunt): Cô, dì (context-dependent), thím (aunt - wife of father's younger brother).
- Noun (Young girl): Cô gái, thiếu nữ, cô bé.
- Verb (To flirt): Tán tỉnh, ve vãn, tán.
Related Phrases / Idioms
- "O mèo": (Slang) To flirt or court in a persistent, perhaps annoying way.
- Thằng đó suốt ngày đi o mèo con bé hàng xóm. (That guy spends all day pestering the neighbor girl with his flirting.)
Notes on Usage
- Regional Use: The use of "o" as "aunt" or "young lady" is particularly common in the dialects of Central Vietnam (e.g., Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình).
- Register: When meaning "aunt" or "young lady", it is familiar and colloquial. When used as a verb meaning "to flirt", it is informal and can be considered slangy or slightly vulgar depending on context.
- Capitalization: When used as a proper noun (e.g., in direct address: "O Lan"), it is often capitalized.
noun
- aunt; auntie (father's sister); young girl
- o con gáia young girl