tòm
Definition
- Onomatopoeia:
- Splash / plop: The sound made by a heavy or solid object falling into water.
- Drumming sound: A repetitive, dull, rhythmic sound, often imitative of a drumbeat, especially when reduplicated as "tòm tòm".
Usage Examples
- Onomatopoeia:
- Hòn đá rơi xuống hồ, "tòm" một tiếng. (The rock fell into the pond with a "plop".)
- Tiếng trống nghe "tòm tòm". (The drum sounded "thump thump".)
Advanced Usage
- "tòm tõm": A variant reduplication often describing the sound of repeated splashing or vigorous activity in water.
- Bọn trẻ nhảy xuống sông tòm tõm. (The children jumped into the river with loud splashes.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ọp ẹp (onomatopoeia): A squelching or sucking sound, often of mud or wet ground, distinct from the clear water splash of "tòm".
- Rơi (v): to fall. This is the action that often produces the "tòm" sound.
- Tiếng động (n): sound, noise. The general category for what "tòm" represents.
Synonyms
- Splash: The sound of something hitting liquid.
- Plop: A soft, dull sound of an object dropping into water.
- Thud: A dull sound, but not specific to water; can be used for the drumming sense.
Related Idioms
- Im như thóc: (To be as silent as husked rice) – This idiom describes complete silence, which is the opposite of a "tòm" sound.
- While not a direct idiom with "tòm", the sound is often used in descriptive phrases to vividly set a scene, e.g., (Only the sound of fish grabbing prey with a "plop" on the water's surface could be heard.)