{"id":4320,"date":"2026-04-20T19:34:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.vietcafe-learning.com\/material\/?p=4320"},"modified":"2026-04-20T19:34:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:34:45","slug":"grammar-35","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.vietcafe-learning.com\/material\/grammar-35\/","title":{"rendered":"Grammar 35: Onomatopoeia and Mimetic Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

As introduced in Lesson 3<\/a>, in Vietnamese, basically one syllable constitutes one word.
\nWords that consist of only one syllable are called “t\u1eeb \u0111\u01a1n” (Simple words) (e.g., “ba” [father] and “m\u1eb9” [mother]). Words made up of two or more syllables are called “t\u1eeb ph\u1ee9c” (Complex words).<\/p>\n

Furthermore, “t\u1eeb ph\u1ee9c” (Complex words) can be divided into two types as follows:<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\u25cf T\u1eeb gh\u00e9p (Compound words): A combination of two or more words, each of which has its own meaning.
\n\u3000Examples: kh\u1ecfe m\u1ea1nh (healthy and strong), m\u00e1y bay (airplane), \u0103n u\u1ed1ng (eating and drinking)<\/p>\n

\u25cf T\u1eeb l\u00e1y (Reduplicative words): A combination of two or more words where the initial consonant or the vowel and final consonant are repeated.
\nEither only one of the words has a meaning, or neither has a meaning on its own, but they gain meaning when combined.<\/p>\n

Examples: r\u00e0o r\u00e0o (the sound of pouring rain), l\u1ea5p l\u00e1nh (sparkling\/twinkling), xanh xao (pale due to illness)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Vietnamese Words<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
t\u1eeb \u0111\u01a1n (Simple words)<\/strong><\/span>
\nWords made of one syllable<\/td>\n		t\u1eeb ph\u1ee9c (Complex words)<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Words made of two or more syllables<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\nt\u1eeb gh\u00e9p (Compound words)<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Combination of two or more meaningful words<\/td>\n		t\u1eeb l\u00e1y (Reduplicative words)<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Combination of two or more words repeating phonetic elements
\n<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Classification of Vietnamese Words<\/p>\n

Onomatopoeia and Mimetic Words<\/h2>\n

Like English, Vietnamese also has onomatopoeia (words that represent sounds, such as animal noises) and mimetic words (words that describe the state or appearance of things). Most of these onomatopoeic and mimetic words in Vietnamese belong to the aforementioned “t\u1eeb l\u00e1y” category.<\/p>\n

Examples of Onomatopoeia and Mimetic Words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Onomatopoeia<\/th>\nMeaning<\/th>\nMimetic Words<\/th>\nMeaning<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
x\u00e0o x\u1ea1c (Adv)<\/td>\nRustling sound
\nEx: L\u00e1 r\u01a1i x\u00e0o x\u1ea1c.
\n(Leaves fall rustling.)<\/td>\n		s\u1eb7c s\u1ee1 (Adj)<\/td>\nBright, gaudy
\nEx: m\u00e0u s\u1eafc s\u1eb7c s\u1ee1
\n(bright and gaudy colors)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
kh\u00fac kh\u00edch (Adv)<\/td>\nGiggling sound
\nEx: Em b\u00e9 c\u01b0\u1eddi kh\u00fac kh\u00edch.
\n(The baby giggles.)<\/td>\n		g\u1eadp gh\u1ec1nh (Adj)<\/td>\nBumpy, rough
\nEx: \u0111\u01b0\u1eddng g\u1eadp gh\u1ec1nh
\n(a bumpy road)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00e0o \u00e0o (Adv)<\/td>\nSound of pouring
\nEx: M\u01b0a r\u01a1i \u00e0o \u00e0o.
\n(The rain pours down heavily.)<\/td>\n		l\u1ea5p l\u00e1nh (Adv)<\/td>\nSparkling, twinkling
\nEx: \u0111\u00e8n s\u00e1ng l\u1ea5p l\u00e1nh
\n(lights shining brightly\/sparkling)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
l\u00edu lo (Adv)<\/td>\nChirping\/tweeting sound
\nEx: Chim h\u00f3t l\u00edu lo.
\n(Birds are chirping.)<\/td>\n		l\u1ed9n x\u1ed9n (Adj)<\/td>\nMessy, chaotic
\nEx: ph\u00f2ng l\u1ed9n x\u1ed9n
\n(a messy room)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u1ea7m \u1ea7m (Adv)<\/td>\nLoud rumbling noise
\nEx: M\u00e1y ch\u1ea1y \u1ea7m \u1ea7m.
\n(The machine runs with a loud rumble.)<\/td>\n		nh\u1eb9 nh\u00e0ng (Adj)<\/td>\nGentle, soft
\nEx: c\u00f4 \u1ea5y l\u00e0 ng\u01b0\u1eddi nh\u1eb9 nh\u00e0ng
\n(she is a gentle person)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n
\n