Definition

1. Verb:

   • To flick; to shake off: To move one's hand or an object with a quick, light motion to remove something, such as water or dust.
   • To wave; to flap: To move something, like a hand or a fin, up and down or back and forth.

2. Noun:

   • (Dialectal) Scale: A small, thin, hard plate that covers the skin of fish and reptiles. (Note: The standard word for "scale" in Vietnamese is "vảy". "Vẩy" in this sense is considered a dialectal variant.)

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • Cô ấy vẩy nước từ tay. (She flicked the water off her hands.)
  • Chú chim vẩy cánh. (The bird flapped its wings.)
  • Anh ấy vẩy tay chào tạm biệt. (He waved his hand to say goodbye.)

• Noun (Dialectal):

  • Con cá có lớp vẩy rất cứng. (The fish has a layer of very hard scales.)

Advanced Usage

• "vẩy tay": to wave a hand.

  • Đứa trẻ vẩy tay với mẹ. (The child waved at his mother.)

• "vẩy vẩy": to flick or shake repeatedly.

  • Nó vẩy vẩy tờ giấy cho khô mực. (He kept flicking the paper to dry the ink.)

Variants and Related Words

• Vảy (n): The standard word for "scale" (of a fish, reptile).

  • Làm sạch vảy cá trước khi nấu. (Clean the fish scales before cooking.)

• Vẫy (v): To wave (often used for calling or greeting over a distance). This is a distinct word with a different tone.

  • Cô ấy vẫy tay gọi taxi. (She waved her hand to hail a taxi.)

Synonyms

• Flick: to move or hit with a quick, light motion.
• Shake: to move back and forth or up and down quickly.
• Wave: to move one's hand or an object back and forth.
• Flap: to move wings or arms up and down.

Notes on Usage

• The primary and most common use of "vẩy" is as a verb meaning "to flick" or "to wave."
• When used as a noun meaning "scale," "vẩy" is dialectal. The standard and universally understood term is "vảy". Learners should use "vảy" for clarity when referring to fish or reptile scales.
• Do not confuse "vẩy" (flick/wave) with "vẫy" (to wave, often for attention), which are separate words distinguished by tone.