Definition

Noun: A large, heavy knife with a broad blade and a thick spine, typically used for cutting through dense vegetation, small trees, or chopping tasks. It is a common agricultural and forestry tool in Vietnam, similar to a machete or bush hook.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Người nông dân dùng rựa để phát quang bụi rậm. (The farmer uses a bush-hook to clear the thickets.)
  • Chiếc rựa này rất sắc, có thể chặt được cành cây nhỏ. (This machete is very sharp and can chop small tree branches.)

Advanced Usage

• "Dao rựa": This is a common compound term where "dao" (knife) specifies the type of tool, making "dao rựa" synonymous with "rựa".
  • Anh ấy mua một con dao rựa mới để đi rừng. (He bought a new machete to go into the forest.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dao phát (n): A similar cutting tool, often used for clearing grass and undergrowth. The distinction between "dao phát" and "rựa" can be regional or based on slight design differences, but they are functionally very similar.
• Mã tấu (n): A broad-bladed weapon or tool, historically used as a sword. It can sometimes be used colloquially to refer to a large chopping knife like a "rựa", but "mã tấu" often implies a weapon or a tool with a more curved blade.

Synonyms

• Machete (n): A broad, heavy knife used for cutting vegetation.
• Bush hook (n): A tool with a curved blade for cutting brush.
• Cleaver (n): A heavy knife with a broad blade, though typically associated with chopping food (like a meat cleaver), the term can sometimes describe the shape and heft of a "rựa".

Notes on Different Meanings

The core meaning of "rựa" is the cutting tool. The reference to "rức" (aching) in some historical dictionaries is considered a separate, homophonous word and is not related to the tool "rựa". In modern standard usage, "rựa" almost exclusively refers to the knife.

noun

1. bush-hook