Definition

1. Noun:
   • A long, narrow channel or groove, typically dug in the ground to allow water to flow away: A man-made or natural depression that directs the flow of water, such as for drainage or irrigation.
   • A groove or furrow on a surface: A long, narrow indentation or channel on an object, such as a tool, a piece of furniture, or in anatomy.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Người nông dân đào một cái rãnh để thoát nước cho cánh đồng. (The farmer dug a drain to drain water from the field.)
  • Nước mưa chảy theo rãnh xuống cống. (The rainwater flows down the gutter to the sewer.)
  • Chiếc bàn này có một rãnh nhỏ để đựng bút. (This table has a small groove to hold pens.)
  • Rãnh xương là một bộ phận quan trọng trong giải phẫu. (The bone groove is an important part in anatomy.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đánh rãnh" / "Xẻ rãnh": To dig or cut a channel/groove.
  • Trước khi trồng cây, họ phải đánh rãnh quanh khu vườn. (Before planting, they had to dig channels around the garden.)
• "Rãnh nước": Water channel/drain.
  • Rãnh nước hai bên đường đã bị tắc. (The water drains on both sides of the road are clogged.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mương (n): A larger ditch or canal, often for irrigation. (e.g., - irrigation canal)
• Rãnh rỗi (adj): This is a completely different word meaning "free/leisurely" (having free time). It is a compound and not a variant of 'rãnh'.
  • Tôi chỉ rảnh rỗi vào cuối tuần. (I am only free on weekends.)

Synonyms

• Máng (n): Trough, gutter (often for guiding liquids).
• Hốc (n): Recess, niche (a hollowed-out space, but not necessarily long and narrow like a 'rãnh').

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As a noun, 'rãnh' does not form phrasal verbs. The related actions involve verbs like "đào" (to dig) or "xẻ" (to cut).

Related Idioms

• "Nước chảy chỗ trũng" / "Nước đổ đầu vịt": These idioms relate to the ineffectiveness of action, similar to water finding its own path or rolling off a duck's back, indirectly relating to the concept of channels ('rãnh') directing flow, but they do not contain the word 'rãnh' itself.

noun

1. drain; gutter