se lạnh

Definition
  1. Adjective:
    • Slightly cold, chilly, or cool: Describes a temperature or sensation that is noticeably cold but not intensely freezing. Often refers to a crisp, cool feeling in the air, weather, or an object.
    • Having a cold quality: Can describe something that feels cold to the touch or evokes a feeling of coolness.
Usage Examples
  • Adjective:
    • Sáng sớm, không khí se lạnh. (In the early morning, the air is chilly.)
    • Cốc nước bằng kim loại cảm thấy se lạnh. (The metal cup feels cool to the touch.)
    • Trời bắt đầu se lạnh khi mùa thu đến. (The weather turns slightly cold when autumn arrives.)
Advanced Usage
  • "cái se lạnh": the chill, the coolness (used as a noun phrase).
    • Cái se lạnh của mùa đông miền Bắc rất đặc trưng. (The chill of the Northern winter is very distinctive.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Lạnh (adj): cold.

    • Nước lạnh (cold water).

  • Lạnh buốt (adj): bitterly cold, piercingly cold.

    • Gió mùa đông lạnh buốt (The winter wind is bitterly cold).

  • Mát lạnh (adj): cool and refreshing (often pleasant).

    • Một ly nước mát lạnh (A cool, refreshing glass of water).
Synonyms
  • Chilly: unpleasantly cold.
  • Cool: moderately cold, often in a pleasant way.
  • Nippy: chilly, used especially for weather.
Related Idioms
  • Se se lạnh: a reduplicative form emphasizing a mild, pervasive chill.
    • Gió heo may thổi se se lạnh. (The autumn wind blows with a slight, pervasive chill.)