Definition

Noun: * Football (soccer): A sport played between two teams of eleven players who try to score goals by kicking a ball into the opposing team's net. This is the direct and primary meaning of "túc cầu". * (Archaic/Literary): The original Sino-Vietnamese term for the modern sport of football (soccer). It is formed from "túc" (foot) and "cầu" (ball).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ấy rất đam mê môn túc cầu. (He is very passionate about football.)
  • Giải đấu túc cầu quốc tế sẽ diễn ra vào mùa hè. (The international football tournament will take place in the summer.)
  • Trong văn chương, "túc cầu" là từ Hán Việt chỉ môn bóng đá. (In literature, "túc cầu" is the Sino-Vietnamese word for football.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "túc cầu" is considered formal, literary, and somewhat archaic in everyday modern Vietnamese. It is rarely used in casual conversation today.
• It is primarily found in historical texts, formal writing, classical literature, or in fixed phrases/names (e.g., club names, historical references).
• Using "túc cầu" instead of the common word "bóng đá" can impart a classical, scholarly, or intentionally formal tone to the speech or writing.

Variants and Related Words

• Bóng đá (n): The standard, modern, and overwhelmingly common Vietnamese word for "football/soccer". This is the word used in daily life, media, and contemporary contexts.
• Đá bóng (v/n): A colloquial verb/noun phrase meaning "to play football" or "football".
• Cầu thủ (n): Football player. Derived from "cầu" (ball) and "thủ" (player/keeper).

Synonyms

• Bóng đá: Football, soccer. (This is the main synonym and the modern replacement).
• Đá banh: (Southern Vietnamese colloquialism) Football, soccer.

Related Phrases / Compound Terms

• Câu lạc bộ túc cầu: Football club (a formal or historical term for a football club).
• Trận túc cầu: A football match (formal/literary).
• Đội tuyển túc cầu quốc gia: National football team (formal).

noun

1. football